Chapter 10
There were three of them, and they had just entered the club. It wasn't hard to spot them out: three men, dressed in civilian clothes that paused at the entrance, then fanned out to deliberately scan the room. That was how Ada had spotted Leon; it wasn't hard to see someone who looked out of place in a nightclub. There was something about them that just didn't belong.
Only three in here, but they wouldn't all come in without backup waiting outside for us to slip out.
As soon as she said he was tailed, Leon automatically turned to look. "Don't look!" she chided with a hiss, grabbing him by the collar to point his eyes back to her. He had his back to them, so she shrank into the booth, leaning forward to try and hide behind his frame.
The only problem was that they nearly knocked heads when she leaned in. For a brief instant, she took her eyes off the entrance and looked into his, then towards his lips. A flutter ran down her spine. All she would have to do was tilt her head and lean in a little further…then she realized she still held a fistful of his collar and let go, feeling a little embarrassed.
"Sorry. There are three of them," she told him, glancing back to the entrance, carefully leaning her cheek on her palm to try and mask her visage. "Did you tell the bouncer you were with the government?"
Leon nodded. "Yeah. Said I was under-dressed."
"Well, you could stand to be a little classier," she said distractedly. "They probably said they were with you. He wouldn't know the difference."
In fact, it might have been easier for them. Depending what type of story Leon told the bouncer, those three might have said they were there to help him, or that something was going down. They might even have police with them, which would complicate things even more if they said the two of them were some kind of dangerous fugitives posing as law enforcement.
Not likely though. They wouldn't drag law enforcement into a hit, especially for their first attempt.
She cocked her head at him. "You are armed, right?"
He gave her an irritated look. "After I was asked to meet with you privately? Of course."
Good. Leon could hold his own in a fight, and that meant she wouldn't need to look out for him if the bullets started flying. Her own weapon was a comforting weight that had long since warmed against the skin high on the inside of her thigh, despite the chafing it caused.
"They're going to notice us if we try to leave together," she said. "We'll have a better chance if we leave at different times. First you'll go, and then–"
"Oh, I don't think so," Leon snorted "I didn't go this long just to have you vanish again so you can contact us at your convenience."
Her temper flared, and her eyebrows furrowed in irritation. "Leon, this isn't the time–"
"From what you told me, Spencer is going to know sooner or later that you got into his information, which means we have to act fast before he disappears again," he interrupted quickly. "You're leaving here with me, and then you're going to give me his location before that happens."
She glanced over his shoulder again. The three men were moving again, slowly panning to the outside of the club and trying to look inconspicuous. It wasn't easy for them, dressed in jeans and jackets amongst exotic women and dancers. If the two of them continued to sit in one place, they would be discovered, and she doubted their three tails had qualms about making a scene.
He was right. She didn't have time to sit there and argue with him, lose the tails, and then meet again through secure means. The clock was ticking, and every second increased the chance of Spencer, and thus Wesker and Crow, getting away.
"Alright," she said. "But we're going to need to move quickly."
"I'm parked closer to the back of the casino," he indicated with a flick of his eyes to the door behind them. "We can slip out now."
She shook her head, then grimaced. "They're going to be watching the exits from outside. They wouldn't just send three people to let us slip out the back. Plus, I didn't make a reservation back there, so we won't be able to get in right away. The three of them will notice if we muscle past the bouncer."
This wasn't going to end well.
"…the dance floor," she realized. "We have to blend in. Otherwise, we're exposed just sitting here."
Once in the sea of people, she guided him closer to the center of the floor. "Try to look like you're having fun," she yelled in his ear as the music overpowered the air around them. "And keep your head down!"
At least she was able to indulge in the proximity of their bodies as she wrapped her arms around his waist again. His build felt comforting, even if it brought that chewing sense of longing in her stomach, and it had been fun to tease him when they met.
Leon's movements felt stocky and clumsy next to her. He wasn't much of a dancer, and she would like nothing more than the time to show him how, but she would have to settle for a crash course. She took his hands by the wrists and hooked them around her own waist so that he drew her closer to his body. Immediately, she felt the flush in her cheeks when he actually tightened his hold and the heat from his body flowed into hers.
He's not some wallflower on his first date. Give him some credit; he knows how to handle a woman.
The music, lights, and motion was disorienting, but she quickly picked out the three tails again. Two of them were still scanning the perimeter, but one was beginning to head to the dance floor. She bit the inside of her cheek when he began to nudge into the crowd.
"Shit," she swore under her breath, too low for Leon to hear. They were being too thorough, and now they had just put a crowd of civilians into the line of fire. She doubted the three men would mind if they hit a few if it guaranteed her death.
"Turn with me," she told Leon tersely. "One's coming up on the floor. Get your back to him."
He complied, looking as tense as she felt. She was more or less hidden in front of him, but she couldn't see well over his shoulder, and she needed to continue to track their movements for the both of them. She took a deep breath, then placed her cheek onto his shoulder, as if to croon into his neck. This allowed her to just glance over his shoulder. The action fit well with the rest of the crowd; the music was slow and sensuous, and more than a few couples were getting a little cozy.
"Easy, tiger," she said when she felt him tense from her breath on his neck, but she wasn't sure if it would be better directed at her. She suddenly felt awkward, uncertain. It wasn't easy to try and not be turned on from almost grinding on him. With three assassins circling them, a pleasurable sense of adrenaline washed through her nerve endings.
The two men on the outside were still hanging back, but the third had vanished from the crowd. She scanned the sea of faces and bodies, but the plain-clothed man was nowhere in sight.
"Lost one of them," she said into his ear. Then she felt Leon tense.
He was right next to them. The man reached inside his jacket, but the crowd jostled him, slowing his movement. Ada pressed herself against Leon, lifted her leg, and reached to her holster. She was faster, more fluid, and got the muzzle of her Beretta up just as she saw the butt of his handgun.
The shot was almost point-blank. A loud bang briefly dwarfed the music, and the man went down hard. Unfortunately, the shot was so close the bullet went right through him. A woman behind him fell with a cry, clutching her stomach. It stung at her conscious, but there was no time to think about it.
The dance floor, and then the entire club descended into pandemonium after the single report. People screamed and stampeded away from her when they saw the gun, tripping and flailing. The force tore Leon away from her, twisting and twirling her in all directions. Then more shots sounded, and she briefly saw bullet holes speckle the floor around her. A man that clipped her as he ran past jerked and fell as a round penetrated his chest.
Unsure and unable to see where Leon was, Ada shoved between two civilians, sprinting in the opposite direction the shots had come from, then dove over one of the now abandoned DJ booths. Two single shots rang out, followed by a small burst of automatic fire, and the mixing equipment on the booth turned into a shredded mess of electronics. She stuck her gun around the corner and fired back, then leaned out to set up a better shot.
The room had cleared out quickly, leaving only the two of them on the other side of the dance floor, with a few bodies between them. Each had taken cover behind some tables and chairs. She was relieved to see movement to her right: Leon behind the bar, popping up to fire along side her.
The gunmen fired back. She saw two handguns, but one was an automatic, responsible for the rapid chatter. Holes riddled the booth around her, and she realized the decorative wood and electronic lights that covered it offered little protection.
Ada dove out from behind the booth, rolling along the floor and emptied her clip to force them back down, and as soon as they took cover, she was back on her feet, running to the bar. They didn't stay down for long, and the gunfire returned just as she was vaulting the bar. Bottles popped and exploded, running their contents over both her and Leon as she crashed to the floor next to him. Broken glass stung her calf, but she drew her legs up and huddled behind the bar as the bullets drummed harmlessly against the thicker surface.
"We need to get out of here," she said tightly as she ejected her spent clip and replaced it with a new one from the holster. As she released the slide, she habitually tugged the hem of her absurdly short skirt back into place.
"Right with you," Leon replied. "I'm open for ideas."
Gunfire peppered the top of the bar again, but neither of them had leaned out to shoot. Her tactical mind suddenly screamed in alarm. She crouched low and swiftly darted to the edge of the bar.
"Ada!" Leon snapped over the flying bullets, but she ignored him.
There was a subtle gap in the gunfire, and as soon as she heard it, she swept out and collided with one of the shooters just coming up to the bar. One of them had been laying down covering fire while the other came in close to bunker them.
She ducked under his gun arm and pushed, so close she could make out the details of the weapon and the extended clip that fed the bullet-spewing handgun. They turned in an awkward pirouette, and as they did, she stuck her gun out and aimed at the other gunmen at the edge of the dance floor and squeezed off a double tap, both rounds hitting him in the chest.
Ada continued her pivot, bringing the gun around and stuck it into the chest of the shooter, firing once, then twice point-blank into his ribs. When he fell away, she finished him off with a third through the skull.
Leon had popped up to cover her, and as the second shooter went down hard, she focused on the first. He wasn't moving.
"Come on!" she snapped at him, then spun towards the door.
He watched her back as she cleared the door, then moved through. She was used to working alone, but having Leon at her back gave her a sense of security. They had never worked like this before, but as they moved through the halls, she found it almost natural to trade cover with him as they checked the back halls that ran through the VIP suites, then the backstage area. She would clear the first corner, motion him up, and then watch his back to make sure reinforcements didn't surprise them from behind. He'd get the next one, and they'd switch, and within seconds, they were at the door she knew led to the back alley behind the concert.
"You know where you're parked?" she asked as they stacked on either side of the door, guns at the ready.
Leon closed his eyes. "Right at the end of the alley. Half a block, black Jeep."
She nodded back. "On three. One, two, three!"
She flung open the door and swept out, crouching low with her gun raised. Leon followed, aiming over her back. The back alley was clear, and she took point as they jogged towards the street. As soon as they reached the mouth of it, there was a gunshot, and a bullet chipped the brick corner of the building a foot from her face.
"Across the street, by the grey sedan," she said, wincing from the aftershock of the stone pelting her face and shoulder. She pressed her back against the wall. "I'll cover you."
Without waiting for his consent, she leaned out and fired off a few rounds in the direction of the shooters. The gunmen behind the car shrank back as the windshield spiderwebbed, and Leon leaped forward to crouch behind another parked car along the street. He fired out a volley to cover her, and she joined him behind the car before the shooter fired back.
"That way," he said, pointing with his muzzle down the street. She could just make out his car. "Stay low."
Hugging the crowded row of cars that lined the street, they made their way down. With the ample cover, they didn't have to worry about the bullets that harmlessly pelted the vehicles. When they got to his Jeep, she stood up and fired over the hood of the car behind it to cover Leon while he got into the driver's seat. As soon as he was in, she fell back and got into the passenger side. Bullets hammered the side of the car, and Leon swore very loudly as he turned the ignition and floored it.
I guess I would be pissed if they shot my car, too.
As he pealed down the street, she looked back and ejected her now-empty magazine, replacing it with her third and final one. "Looks like they're following."
The grey sedan had torn out of its parking space, its shot windshield very distinct, and was now quickly gaining on them. Leon grimaced and tightened his hold on the wheel.
"Hold on."
He turned at the next intersection, ignoring a stoplight and nearly causing a pileup as a pickup truck swerved to avoid them. When she looked back, their pursuers had fallen back from having to dodge their own crash, but quickly caught back up. Without warning, they rammed them from behind. They jerked and swerved, but Leon held them steady.
It was a tight fit on a two way city street, and they were already going more than twice the legal speed. The sedan tried to pull up along side them, but Leon quickly swerved, cutting them off. Denying them a clean shot didn't prevent them from firing their weapons, and bullets pinged off the rear hatch as the gunmen inside fired from the windows. One hit the rear windshield, turning it opaque with cracks.
They tore through another intersection, this one favoring them with a green light, but Leon clipped a car making a turn. Ada was shaken in her seat as they slowed and then accelerated. She grabbed the doorframe handle to steady herself as he took another tight turn, then shot a look back through the cracked windshield. The sedan was still on them.
"Make me some room," she said, then cracked her door open.
"What?" Leon yelled, almost swerving as she opened the door fully and leaned out.
Cold air whipped her short bangs wildly as she held herself steady, one hand on the door, the other full of gun. She was poised at an angle over the street, and one slip would send her into the ground, then beneath the wheels of their pursuers. Cars parked along the street blew past only feet from her shoulder and even less from the edge of the open door.
It all happened quickly in a rush of adrenaline. Despite the motion, wind, and giddiness that coursed through her veins, she lined up a shot on the right side of the sedan's windshield, then pulled the trigger again and again. She registered only a few shots hitting their mark when the return fire came. One whizzed past her shoulder, shattering the passenger window and pelting her with glass.
But her last shots did it. One or more rounds must have hit the driver, because the car swerved and suddenly took a hard turn, hitting a parked car and flipping with a shower of sparks. At the same time though, the incoming bullets caused Leon to jerk the wheel, and she nearly toppled out of the car. They went into a skid, and the force pulled her back in, the door slamming shut behind her.
She looked up from her askew position over her seat and dashboard just in time to see they were going to crash.
They glanced off a streetlight, and Leon lost control, ramming into a parked car. Ada flew off her seat and into the dashboard. Spots of light danced in front of her eyes as all of her breath escaped her. Her spine protested with agony as it twisted at a funny angle, and she fell back against the seat, clutching her midsection as the silence set in.
She felt Leon's hand on her shoulder. He was holding the back of his neck, but he had gotten his seatbelt on when they took off. She hadn't. "You okay?"
Her face furrowed, teeth bared, but she glanced out the window instead of meeting his gaze. The gray sedan was further back, crumpled against some cars. There was no movement inside.
"Yeah," she replied, swallowing the pain. "I'm fine. Just get us out of here."
At least the Jeep was still drivable. The front end was almost totaled, but there was no one to report them as they drove off. Soon, they were a few streets away, heading out of the city.
"Well, now what?" she asked after a while, once the pain had subsided minutely.
"Now, we go back to New York, and hook up with the rest of the GSA," he said tensely. "Then you can tell us what you know about Spencer."
"Yeah, great plan," she said, not bothering to hide the sarcasm or her bitter laugh. The pain in her gut made her wince. "I told you, you were followed. That means you've got another leak. The last thing we should be doing is going back to the GSA."
"You have a better idea?" he asked loudly. She picked up the stress in his voice. "Ada, we almost got gunned down back there! Now you want to jerk us around?"
"That was before I knew you were still compromised," she said back just as loudly. "If we go back to the GSA, I guarantee they'll be waiting for us."
"Jesus Christ," Leon muttered, palming his face.
Silence fell between them, thick enough to cut. The naivety was starting to piss her off, but she could at least see his situation. If he couldn't trust the GSA, then what else was there?
"What if I didn't take you back to the GSA?" he asked wearily as they stopped at a red light. "Some place else, where if we have another insider, they won't think to look, at least right away. Until we can get this shit straightened out."
She eyed him warily. People that had pulled up next to them were staring in shock at the condition of their car. What kind of place did a loyal government agent know of that a rogue spy might take refuge in? "What kind of place did you have in mind?"
"My place," he said. "My apartment isn't too far from here. A few hours away in DC."
She laughed again and stifled another wince, hoping that it was only bruising and not something broken. "You're kidding me. Don't you think that's the first place they'll look?"
"My orders were to meet with you, get the information, and if necessary, bring you in. When those assassins don't report in—if they're dead—or if they say that we got away, anyone who's watching the GSA will be waiting for me to return. They'll probably expect you to have run off again, and that I was wounded or incapacitated." He glanced at her just before the light turned green. "Ada, we just need time to think how to play this out."
She considered what he said as they started moving again. If what he said was right, then it was the best choice. She was exhausted, and skipping town on public transportation would give whoever attacked them a possible trail to follow when they found out she was still alive. The data was on her PDA, which she had in her leg holster. They could get it to the GSA from his place, and she could get moving again. Like he said, they just needed time.
But she was sure he was being watched. She was too careful to let someone have discovered her, let alone out of the blue like that. Sticking close to him would lead them right to her…
Goddammit, Leon.
Finally, she nodded and leaned back into her seat. She was too tired to bicker with him anymore. "Alright. Your place it is."