CHAPTER 22:

"Cooper…Fiona is quite…er…ah…" Jen stammered. She was unsure of how to tell Cooper.

"Look I know…I'm just trying to be the good friend here. Nothing more. She knows that."

"Well you can't go about kissing her again and expecting her to just…think that you're ONLY friends!" Jen shouted angrily as she got out of Cooper's car. She had another appointment with Dr. Little and Fiona was not in the mood to give her a ride. James had woken up not feeling overly great and didn't want to get out of bed. So Jen took this opportunity to talk to Cooper about Fiona and if things got out of hand, she was going to use the excuse of being flooded with extra hormones from her pregnancy that made her emotional. Cooper merely shrugged.

"I'll stay in the car." Jen gave him one last look before she started walking down the street towards the doctor's office. Jen was rather flustered, being mad at Cooper and being seven months pregnant. As she turned the corner, a woman wearing an oversized hat and oversized sunglasses stepped out of another building right in front of Jen. Jen bumped into her and they both took a step back. The woman was wearing a leather jacket with the collar turned up, hiding most of her face.

"Bloody Hell! Are you blind?" Jen shouted angrily. The woman turned her head to the right and looked at Jen. She took off her glasses, and pulled down her collar. It revealed two jaggedly round scars, one of each on both sides of her mouth. She also had a scar running from her chin to her chest. Jen stared into her deep blue eyes, and she felt herself turn ghostly white in the face. It was Erica Dane, back from the dead.

"Jennifer Mui…thought you had killed me, didn't you?" Jen simply gulped. She couldn't run away being this pregnant and she knew Erica was armed, judging by the bulge underneath the right sleeve of her jacket. Sure enough, Erica slipped out a shiny, silver revolver. It had a five bullet chamber and Jen heard the hammer click down. It was loaded and cocked. Erica held the gun under her sleeve and jabbed it into Jen's back. "Let's go. Looks like you'll be missing your appointment."

Cooper checked his watch. Jen's appointment was for 2:30pm. He had dosed off in the car for a bit. When he looked out the window, he saw Jen coming back already at only 2:45pm. But there was another woman walking directly behind her. She had her arm pointed at Jen's back. Cooper looked closer and he saw the silver end of a gun. The engine of his Zonda roared to life and Cooper started driving towards the women. They were crossing the street. Jen gave him a quick look before the other woman jabbed her in the back again. Cooper watched them cross the street and get into a black Chrysler 300. He knew something was up, and his adrenaline was coursing through his veins. He began following the black sedan through London's streets. The vehicle was going surprisingly fast and Cooper put his foot down on the accelerator. The Zonda roared as it caught up to the car at a stop light. The car had its signal light on, turning left. Cooper followed it closely. He wanted to call James and Fiona but here in London they had a very strict hands-free-phone-only law, and incredible fines. Now was not the time he wanted to be stopped by the police. He continued driving right behind the Chrysler, following its every move. Eventually, they wound up at Heathrow Airport. He followed about one hundred yards behind and pulled into a parking spot. He waited until they exited their car. Jen was still being prodded along like a cow. Erica Dane was behind her, and out of the driver's side came a rather tall, lanky fellow. He locked his car and escorted the two women towards terminal three. Cooper waited until they were out of sight before he rushed to catch up to them.

Fiona continued flipping through the channels on the TV with no avail to find something interesting to watch. She had never felt more depressed in her life than now. She knew it was stupid to feel this bad about it, but she couldn't help it. She took a drink of her tea and sighed. Just then, James walked in from the bedroom. He hadn't shaved, nor had he looked like he had showered yet.

"What's wrong with you?" Fiona asked.

"I think I got food poisoning from something yesterday." James replied, looking at Fiona. "What's wrong with you?"

"Depression caused by heartbreak."

"Aren't we a pair? Jen's not back yet?"

"No…her appointment was for two-thirty. It's now three-thirty. It's probably the traffic." Fiona sighed. "So, I hear you guys have bought a house."

"Yeah…" James said as he moved into the kitchen and began fixing himself a sandwich.

"Well it's a nice place. It really is. I just wonder…you still gonna let me stay with you?"

"I guess. I don't mind, you take care of yourself and there's room."

"Okay…"

"Well where did you live before? I mean…" James mumbled as he sat down at the island counter.

"All over really, working with ExOps you never get to go home."

"Where would 'home' be?"

"Back in Sydney…" She sighed again. Bringing up her home town made her feel even worse. She got up and walked into the kitchen. "Where does your wife keep the alcohol in this house?"

"Beats me." James shrugged. He honestly didn't even think there was anything in the house, especially since Jen had been pregnant.

"Damn." Fiona scowled, sitting across from James. She really wanted a drink, but didn't want to go out somewhere. Not after her episode at the last pub she was at.

Cooper followed the three of them carefully. They seemed to be headed off to a hangar. He followed and no one asked him anything on the way. Erica opened up a door and went inside. Cooper walked around the back way and quietly snuck inside. There was a private jet. The pilot of this jet was at Cooper's end of the hangar. Cooper walked over to him.

"Oi! Who are you?"

"Listen…" Cooper reached down into his pocket and pulled out his chequebook. "Where is this flight going?"

"Uh…New York City."

"Right. Ok…how much do you want to let me fly this thing?"

"I don't think my client would like that…she hired me for a…"

"Listen buddy…I need to pilot this flight. So how about oh I don't know, thirty thousand?" The old man's eyes lit up.
"All right then."

"Good." Cooper took out a pen and just as he was about to start writing, he grabbed the pilot and put his hand over his mouth. He gave him the sleeper grab, putting his chequebook back into his pocket. "That was too easy." Cooper whispered letting the man slide down to the ground. He stripped the man of his clothes and changed into the pilot's outfit. He made a quick text to Fiona.

Fiona, go to NY City. No questions asked. Do it. You and James. NOW! It's an emergency!

He prayed Fiona would realise that this meant that Jen was in danger. He turned his phone off as he boarded the plane.