Please see first chapter for disclaimer regarding Blacklist. (Of course I don't own it! Just borrowing for entertainment purposes.) I've replied to everyone's reviews if I could (I appreciate you taking the time to leave me a comment) and anyone I could not reply to Thank you as well! You are just as important! I am so pleasantly surprised at the amount of interest this story has continued to draw and I only hope to keep entertaining you.
Longest chapter to date all for you guys:
Lucian pocketed his phone and moved back to Liz kneeling before her. With two fingers he lifted her chin up forcing her to make eye contact with him, "Just for the record Agent Keen- in case you were wondering- you'd remember a night with me for the rest of your life."
Turning her face away from him she shied away from his touch. Her natural instinct was to lash out or make a retort to his statement but she had no desire to inflame his rage lest he continue what he had started before the phone had interrupted him just to prove his point.
"How about we have another round of 'Reddington 101' to help pass the time while we wait hmm?" Pulling up Red's file he glanced over the information before him, "Let's see...Raymond Reddington. His file actually reads like a rejected Bourne movie pitch, but his story is really the beginning of your story from what I see."
Liz tried to appear uninterested; she had no desire to hear anything from him at this point. Yes, she wanted answers but the desire for them had long since been overcast by the need to stay alive and escape as quickly as possible. Yet the profiler in her had perked up at the possible chance for answers Red had been denying her since he turned her world upside down only months before.
Realizing he had peaked her interest Lucian read down the file some more. "Intercepted coded information while working under cover on a black covert op against- oh look at that your father- code name: Flavius."
Liz fought to keep her face neutral but knew she was failing miserably.
"Flavius attempted to have you and your mother killed in a fire at the house – a diversion to suggest the whole family was slaughtered by rivals so he could disappear…"
Liz shook her head trying to drown out what he was saying. With every word she became more distraught over the resounding truth that began to fill in some missing blanks in her memory as a child.
"Tsk tsk looks like the government left their spy out in the cold after he saved you from the fire for disobeying orders. Flavius figured out Red's duplicity... Oh he sent the Stewmaker after Red's wife and daughter. Both never to be seen again..." Lucian shook his head at Liz. "It sounds like your Father is a right mean bastard."
Closing her eyes Liz laid her head on the table trying to block him out. "You're a liar!" She screamed at him.
"Your Father tried to kill you, your adoptive Father, Sam right? He died to get away from you, your husband sold you out for a few bucks and Ol' Red would rather protect himself than save you...Not very good luck with the men in your life." Lucian ticked off name after name then shook his head checking for the wire transfer again.
"Go to hell." Liz practically growled at him refusing to lift her head from the table, she couldn't bear to look at him lest he see the tears that flowed freely down her cheeks.
Lucian waved her comment off, "Oh I have no misconception about my after life plans- at this point it's really go big or go home." Moving close to Liz he stopped only inches from her face, a breath away from her ear. "Sometimes the deepest cuts I can make are with words of truth, I don't need to touch you to hurt you. I just like it more." With no further comment, he stood and left the room through the double doors his henchmen had exited out after bringing in the table.
Liz understood now why he was telling her about Red's past. Their lives had been entwined for years and she knew nothing of him. Who he was now was because of her and her family. His family was dead because of her. She wouldn't take the words of a demon like Lucian though, she would hear the truth for what it was from Red. No matter how horrible the truth actually was.
Somehow she felt worse than before. She had suffered through so much pain and such an array of emotions since she had been kidnapped she was exhausted and quickly losing the battle to her body to stay alert and awake.
'Red will find me' had now become her silent mantra. She didn't understand why he wanted to protect her so badly if everything Lucian claimed to be true but she clung to that hope that he would find her. She no longer relied on the FBI to save her, they played by the rules too much and by the time the paperwork was completed she could be dead. 'Red will find me.' She repeated to herself as she laid her head down on the table.
POST OFFICE
Cooper continued to check his phone like someone worrying a loose tooth. He had even retreated back to the sanctity of his office so as not to draw attention to his repetitious motions. He could only hope that Lucian was going to hold up his side of the deal.
Shortly after retreating to his office Ressler ascended the steps, "Recovery team is prepped- we just need coordinates." He said closing the door as he entered the room and came to stand just before Cooper's desk.
Looking up from his phone once again he shook his head, reaching into his desk he pulled out the jammer again. Once he was sure the room was secure he spoke, "It's been over 20 minutes and I still haven't received the location from him. He disappeared off screen shortly after our last communication and hasn't returned."
"You think he got the hell out of dodge to make sure we don't cross paths before he provides the locale?" Ressler asked turning back to look at the war room and the monitor showing Agent Keen fidgeting against the table.
"I don't know what the hell he is thinking at this point, all I know is this whole situation could blow up in our hands very quickly." Cooper replied pulling out his smartphone once again to check the wire transfer. "DAMN IT!" He cried out, standing up from his desk in one swift move. "It's no wonder he hasn't contacted us! The damn transfer was rejected!"
Ressler was taken aback, "What do you mean it was rejected?"
Cooper was already picking up the phone and typing in an extension before Ressler could finish his sentence. As soon as the line picked up he blurted out, "Approve the Transfer Diane!"
Diane Fowler held the phone away from her ear as Cooper's voice boomed through the receiver. Allowing him to finish she simply stated, "No."
"What do you mean no?!" Harold was fuming; switching the receiver to his other hand he picked up the smartphone once again trying to process the transfer once again. "This is over, he hasn't shown and he won't. We agreed that as long as he played by our rules we would wait Red out- he's going to destroy her."
Diane refused to rise to the bait, "Do you play chess Harold?"
"WHAT THE HELL DOES CHESS HAVE TO DO WITH THIS?" Harold exploded, swiping at the items on his desk and flinging them against the wall surprising Agent Ressler with his physical display of emotion.
"I've been chasing Raymond Reddington all over the world for the better part of 20 years Harold," Diane sat forward at her desk. "To capture a King, you have to go through the Queen. She is collateral damage. There will be no wire transfer- this discussion is over." Diane slammed the receiver down ending the call.
Both men stared at each other as the dial tone could be heard echoing in the silence of the room.
"She just signed Keen's death certificate." Cooper said softly turning to look at the screen once more.
WAREHOUSE
Liz wasn't sure how long she had been left alone but she had almost lulled herself into a false sense of safety. Her legs were beginning to burn from standing so long and her back was beginning to cramp from the awkward position she held herself in to ease the pain from her ribs.
'Red will find me' She thought back over the past months without his presence in her life and how she had felt there was something missing. It was something she was loathe to admit to herself in the harsh light of day but he had grown on her those last few months before he had disappeared. He was a constant for her- A North Star. She could always depend on him – something she couldn't even say of her husband. He had been a rock for her after Sam had died; sometimes it even felt almost as if he had taken Sam's death just as hard if not harder than she had. It was a pain they could share and trust the other to understand without vocalizing their need or suffering.
Even with what Lucian had told her she didn't understand why but she was thankful for it all the same. If and when she got out of this she would hear it all from him- from the beginning. Maybe these were the questions he had told her about the night she shot Barnes, the ones she didn't even know about yet. Red had been right, she hadn't been ready to hear it yet but she was ready now.
It was in that moment of clarity the seeds of doubt had also began to seep into her subconscious as she was left with only her pain and her thoughts to keep her company in the poorly light room. She was actually beginning to believe her own words that maybe she was wrong about him and her importance to him. That she was destined to die here. 'He could correct a mistake made years ago by letting me die.'
As those horrible thoughts began to suffocate her she closed her eyes against them and concentrated on the last call she'd had from Red, 'If you need me, I will be there.' Laying her head down on the cold table she squeezed her eyes closed against the tears the threatened the fall again and held onto that one promise. His pledge to be there for her even thought she didn't understand why. "I need you Red," she whispered against the cold metal.
RED'S RENDEVOUS POINT
The next 45 minutes after receiving the location was a blur of activity for everyone in Red's camp. The entire group reconvened at a rendezvous point just minutes away from the address that Seymour and his techies had finally tracked down. Dembe and Mr. Kaplan had met Red at the building loading dock, "Where are we?" Was all he said as he approached the entryway.
Mr. Kaplan handed Red a thin folder for his inspection, "A small team has already scouted the location you provided."
"Thermal Scan shows about 20 including whom we assume to be Lucian and Liz internally centered here," Dembe pointed to the blueprints of the building. "Alpha team is already assigned."
"How many on Alpha?" Red inquired flipping up the blueprint to observe other photos taken of the outer perimeter of the warehouse.
"Including you– 5. Dembe, Careles, Linkin and Clawson. " Mr. Kaplan replied continuing to move down the corridor leading him to their command center, "Secondary team -8."
Red looked up from the file at Dembe then Mr. Kaplan, "Move Linkin and Clawson to Secondary for egress and medical- I want them on hand and ready to handle her injuries as soon as we neutralize Lucian. The less bodies we bring inside- the safer it will be for Lizzie."
Handing the file back to Mr. Kaplan she veered off towards her post as they approached a cluster of computer equipment and a small armory. Upon arrival, Red nodded to the group of men in various stages of prep, "Gentlemen."
Dembe directed him to the small outpost just to the right where Seymour had already begun running simulations based on the recovered Intel. "Seymour, what have you found regarding point of entry?" The table behind Seymour was filled with Red's own personal equipment including: flak vest, comm unit and multiple weapon selections.
"I've ran a number of sims and all possible entries provide a very low chance of entry without detection, based on these numbers-" Seymour began pulling up statistics on his screen before Red slammed his hand down beside the man.
"Seymour- "The deathly calm of his voice caused Seymour to tremble slightly as he looked at Red."Screw the numbers - point to the area where I can go in. Secondary will handle the rest. Nod if you understand?"
Seymour nodded numerous times and highlighted a section on the screen enlarging it for a better visual, "Here!" He pointed to a tunnel leading into the building, "The south section has an access door that was built into the emergency evac plan. There was no coverage according to their thermals and based on these plans it is built to run directly into the center of the warehouse where-" Hitting a few more buttons quickly on the keyboard, he pulled up the live feed of Lucian and Liz inside the building.
Red wasted no more time suiting up as he watched the screen, "Then it's done, brief both teams." Tightening the strap on the flak vest he began holstering every weapon to their proper place, not taking his eyes of the screen.
"Comm check: Report. Over." Mr. Kaplan's voice sounded through their communication units and each member checked in to confirm operation and channel.
After each team member checked in; Dembe's deep voice followed, "Operation D.I.D rolls in 5!" Both teams began mobilizing towards their departure points.
WAREHOUSE
The sound of doors slamming open startled Liz, causing her to hiss as she jerked against the table. Lucian stormed in staring at his phone; he had waited long enough for the transfer that never came. "Looks like your 'stay of execution' has been revoked!" He called out approaching her with a dangerous glint in his eye. "It's time for a show!"
"What do you mean?" She cringed through her pain and was confused by his comments. "What happened?" She asked softly still trying to find a comfortable spot against the table to rest her injuries. "Didn't you get what you needed?"
"Not exactly, I guess you're not as important as we thought." Lucian moved to perch himself on the corner of the table in front of Liz.
Liz was momentarily shocked at his admission and her hurt expression didn't go unnoticed by Lucian. "I guess you were right." He replied taking his phone out again, checking one last time to see if they had come through with the money.
"So what will we do to pass the time? Hmm?" Liz cringed at his statement- unconsciously she moved away from him and hoped he didn't have any more 'physical' plans for her.
"Sir!" There was movement by the doors again as 4 heavily armed men moved quickly towards Lucian. "We are picking up movement on our exterior perimeter. Incoming less than 4 minutes."
Lucian glanced at his phone again realizing that he had been played, they purposely used the proposed payment to lull him into dropping his guard, "How many?"
"Hard to say - initial contact shows 5 but we have movement in quadrants 2, 3, 5, and 8." His second in command explained providing him with a small tablet of what appeared to bemotion sensors.
"Looks like the Calvary has arrived." Lucian sneered as he handed the tablet back. "I need primary team here with me - everyone else to positions. Have Sike's team engage hostiles on site. We need to prepare for egress."
Liz couldn't help the small smile that formed on her lips, drawing all of her strength she lifted her upper body off the table glaring at Lucian. "I guess you were right – he is coming for me."
Lucian glared at her, "Looks like plans have changed." Pulling out his gun he targeted the camera hitting it on the first shot. "Now they are going to have to fly blind."
The explosion from the doorway shook the entire room surprising all three people in the room. Chaos followed as Lucian's few personal guards backed into the room trading gunfire with unseen assailants outside the door.
"It's a full breech!" Cried Lucian's second as he clipped off a few shots. "We need to go!"
Through the explosions and gunfire Lucian rushed to Liz, "You are my ticket out of this alive." He growled, unlocking the handcuffs swiftly and pulling her flush against his body as a human shield. He made sure to forcibly jostle her midsection to keep her effectively immobilized by pain as she stood before him.
Red's team was more organized and much more effective despite their smaller numbers. You didn't live in the grey of society without making many questionable friends and Red was very good at keeping company with only the best. The incursion took less time than they had planned and Seymour's route had brought him right into the 'hornets nest' so to speak and surprised Lucian's ill prepared back up.
"LUCIAN!" Red's voice rang out over the last shot that downed one of Lucian's men standing directly beside him.
Liz was shocked to hear Red's voice and couldn't help crying out for him, "RED!"
"Shut up!" He cried, grabbing her roughly again. Lucian trained his weapon on her temple as he watched Raymond Reddington walk purposefully into the room flanked by Dembe and another man. Lucian was at a disadvantage standing by himself with only Liz between him and certain death. "Hello Raymond, so glad you could join us. Elizabeth and I have been enjoying getting to know each other. Say Hello Lizzie." He replied squeezing his arm around her midsection causing her to cry out once again.
Dembe and Careles held their sights on Lucian as Red approached him, "Lucian, the only reason you're still alive is because I want to know who facilitated this whole charade." Catching eyes with Liz, Red he have her a soft reassuring smile. He could feel her fear and pain through her gaze and wanted this ended quickly. Gesturing around the room to his fallen fighters laying around him Red lifted his revolver training it on Lucian. "Now put the weapon down or I will kill you myself and find out who hired you through other channels."
"I don't care much for either of those options Red so I think I will go for what is behind door number three- I give you Liz and walk out that door or I put a bullet in her and we see who survives this shoot out?" Lucian replied squeezing her around the stomach again causing her to cry out louder this time.
Liz ground her teeth against the pain and tried to come up with her own plan to distract Lucian enough to give one of the three men a clear shot. Holding Red's gaze she moved her free left hand slowly to tap on her left thigh, hoping he would understand her gesture without drawing attention to her.
Watching Liz's movement it took him only moments to realize what she was asking him to do. The signal must have been loud and clear to his men because in his ear he heard the soft whisper of Dembe, "I will take the shot as soon as she's clear."
"I'm sorry Lizzie." Red adjusted his aim to Liz's thigh and shot.
As soon as the bullet pierced the fleshy outside of her leg Liz cried out and sunk to the ground involuntarily landing on her back she gazed up at her captour.
Before Lucian could register his shock at Red himself shooting Liz, Dembe pulled the trigger and hit Lucian center mass.
The room went silent as they watched Lucian's gun hand sway lightly at his side as his free hand moved to the hole in his chest. His eyes moved from his blood covered hand down to Liz as she stared up at him. With one last effort his gun arm moved towards Liz as four gunshots rang out simultaneously, the force of the bullets throwing Lucian backwards sprawling him on the floor.
Red rushed forward falling to the ground beside Liz as she cowered on her side. "Lizzie- " He couldn't find any words beside her name, helping her roll slowly onto her back him smiled at her.
"Red-" Liz moved one hand from her chest to touch his cheek as she swallowed hard.
Confusion spread across his face at the warm sticky feeling and strong smell of copper from the hand. Lifting her hand from his cheek he saw the large amount of blood slipping down the inside of her wrist: Red felt his heart drop. Liz lay deathly still before him clutching her chest with her free hand and white as a ghost. The stark contrast between the bead of blood slipping down her ivory skin was all he could see. Gently moving her other hand from her chest Red gasped at the small hole between her breast.
Lucian had managed one last shot at the same time they had finished him off.
"DEMBE! MEDIC NOW- SHE'S HIT!" Red cried out in slight hysterics as he touched her cheek lightly with his free hand he tried to coax her to keep her eyes open. "Lizzie- Liz! Look at me. Come on sweetheart keep your eyes open."
He was helpless to watch as her eyelids fluttered in a vain attempt to stay open. Her breathing began to labor and an involuntary cough shook her body as a small trail of blood slipped from the corner of her lips. Dembe moved beside Red as both men went into crisis mode, "Elizabeth you open your eyes now!"
A/N: I'm so sorry, please don't hate me! Sorry for the delay with this chapter, not only did my one shot prompt story (Dangerous Liaisons - Liz see's Red's Tattoo) cause a delay but the end scene was very hard to write (I actually had to make my husband act it out with me) and I'm still not happy with it but eh that is what re-writes are for. I understand that the way I left this leads to a number of flames probably being sent my way but do let me know what you think good or bad.
Always,
Lady