Chapter 4

He'd been playing with fire, literally, but once he'd located the sensor that had picked up his presence it had just been a case of buying a few seconds. She'd given him ten and that had been more than enough. He'd had an assignment a couple of years back, his target had been in a building full of motion, heat and various other sensors as well as security cameras at almost every turn. It had taken days of working with the tech team for him to learn how to trick all of the different sensors he'd come across on that mission. It was a skill that had not only stayed with him since then but one that he'd improved on and he was suddenly very glad for it.

The sensor would have continued to read as though he was still in the shaft where he'd left his jacket but it wouldn't' t have detected him leaving. He'd already been safe in the bathroom of the lower floor when the security measures had been activated though he had to say it had been pretty close. The steal door that blocked off the vent had come down right in front of him as he shimmied backwards out of the shaft.

He still couldn't believe Elizabeth had actually tried to set him on fire; she hadn't even given him until one. Fair enough he'd been goading her on but still, after years of marriage she could have at least given him the full ten seconds, surely he should have been allowed until one. Part of him had hoped that she wouldn't do it; part of him had still hoped he was wrong about her, that she hadn't known all along.

She was sitting in the restaurant now and he'd known she'd come here, at least he knew that much about her if not much else. This was where he'd brought her on their first date, they'd come back here for every anniversary they'd been able to make it for since. She thought he was dead and it seemed she wanted to say her goodbye to him in the same place it had started.

He walked over to her table and sat down in the chair opposite her. Surprise registered on her face for a few moments before she pushed it away and took a sip of the glass of wine she'd been staring at since he'd gotten there twenty minutes ago. This was probably the only chance he'd get to confront her without anyone getting shot, the last chance he'd have to really talk to her.

"I'm impressed," she said with a barely there smile.

"So am I, that security measure of yours is pretty effective," he told her smoothly remaining calm and cold on the outside, he had to or he might not be able to do this.

"Not effective enough apparently," she replied.

"Well don't feel too bad, if I'd still been in the vent I would definitely be toast," he told her and she cocked her head to the side in questioning.

"Want to tell me how you did it?" she asked.

"Not really," he replied. "So what now?"

"I try to kill you, you keep trying to kill me," she told him and this time it was John's turn to raise his eyebrow, what did she mean him keep trying to kill her, she was the only one who'd made an attempt so far. "But I suppose that was your plan anyway, to get your mark."

"Who said you were a mark?" he questioned, this conversation was getting confusing. She'd married her mark thinking that he was also trying to get her? Call him crazy but that just seemed idiotic. "You were never a mark Elizabeth, as far as I was concerned this relationship was real," he stated, he wanted that cleared up straight away. He might be an assassin but in this situation he wasn't the bad guy and he didn't want anyone thinking he was. Elizabeth stared at him a moment and he thought he saw something familiar cross her face but it was gone before he could identify it.

"I have to use the bathroom," she said standing up abruptly and walking away from the table before he could say anything in response. He watched her as she left; walking though the nearby door into the women's toilets, one place she knew he couldn't follow. She was barely in there for a few seconds before two women came running out looking panicked.

He ran to the door debating for only a second before he went through and found the bathroom empty. He placed a hand on the gun tucked into the back of his trousers beneath his jacket as he checked each of the stalls but there was no sign of her, just an open window that was too small for him to slip through but probably just right for Elizabeth. Cursing he ran back out of the bathroom and left the restaurant, he looked around for some sign of Elizabeth but he couldn't see her.

His car was parked just down the street so he ran for that, getting in and starting the engine even before he knew where he was gonna go. He had no idea where Elizabeth would have gone so rather than guess and get it wrong he grabbed his cell phone and dialled her number, it rung a few times before she finally answered. He could hear a car engine in the background so she was obviously driving.

"You're never gonna kill me if you keep running off," he taunted.

"And you're gonna get killed anyway if you keep trying to come after me," she replied and John was silent for a moment.

"Was any of it real?" he asked her. She didn't answer straight away and despite himself he felt a twinge of hope that maybe it hadn't been all about assignment, that maybe some part of it had been real for her too. It was a hope he couldn't shake even though he knew it was just going to get him hurt even more.

"You were a mark, this was an assignment, that's all it ever was," she told him coldly and John nodded his head to himself.

"Okay," he said slowly. "Well then I'm gonna go back to the house and throw out the anniversary present I hid under the clothes in my closet."

"Not if I beat you there," Elizabeth said and the line went dead. John smirked to himself, he'd already been heading for the house, it was just around the corner. The smirk disappeared as he approached their driveway and Elizabeth's car came speeding up behind him. It crashed straight into the back of him before he could turn and sent his car flying past the drive with a jolt that had probably given him whiplash.

He glared at her in his rear view mirror as she turned into the drive way and disappeared into the garage. He parked his car just outside the big white door that she'd closed behind her and opted to go around the back rather than walk right in the front door. There was ivy growing up the side of the building, he could use that to get up the second floor window, it wasn't the first time he'd had to sneak in or out after dark.

She pushed the car door shut behind her not bothering to make sure it had actually closed as she ran through to the house. She pulled her handgun out of her purse, dropping the bag onto the couch as she ran passed it. He wouldn't be far behind her and she knew he wouldn't be stupid enough to come in the front door so she headed to the window at the back. She couldn't see him though and it was dark enough outside that he could easily be hidden in the shadows aiming for her head. Rather than get shot she moved back from the window trying to remember if there were any other ways he might try to get in.

He'd almost had her; she'd almost believed him in the restaurant when he'd said this had never been an assignment to him. He'd been so sincere, at least he had seemed to be and not only had she almost bought it but she'd wanted to, she'd wanted to believe him. It didn't matter now anyway, he was a competing agent, he'd identified her and company policy dictated she got rid of the security risk. That was why she'd lied to him, because regardless of whether he'd been truthful or not she was going to have to kill him, that and she didn't want him to know he'd hurt her. She didn't want him and the firm he worked for having a good laugh at her, thinking they'd got one over on her and managed to not only trick her into believing this marriage was real but hurt her. At least this way she could keep some of her dignity and remain cold enough to do what she had to.

There was a noise upstairs and Elizabeth cursed inwardly at the knowledge he was already in the house. Clutching her gun tightly in her hand she headed toward the hallway, the lights were out so it was difficult to see and there was no shadow to precede him down the stairs and give him away. She had to rely mostly on hearing, listening intently for his footsteps but not hearing them. She was just starting to wonder if she'd heard a sound up there at all when she saw a foot on the stairs. Waiting for him to come further down so she could get a shot at him she aimed her gun forward. This was it, this was going to be the end, she had to push her thoughts away, she couldn't afford to be distracted by them; if she hesitated she could die.

He came down another step his other foot appearing and a moment later she could see his knees. Another few steps and she'd be able to make a shot that would either kill him or severely injure him, another couple of steps after that and she'd be able to make a guaranteed kill shot. He took another step, then another and she could see just below his chest now. His hands came into view, a gun gripped in them prepared to fire at a moment's notice; she wasn't going to give him the chance.

He was just a few steps from the bottom, a step away from her having a clean shot at his head. He'd obviously either seen something or suspected she was there because rather than step down he dived, dropping himself down the remaining few steps in one leap and rolling back to his feet. His gun aimed in her direction and she didn't even think as she fired toward him, three bullets heading in his direction. He'd been too quick though and she hadn't had time to aim well enough, the bullets missed, lodging themselves in the wall behind him.

"That's three times you've tried to kill me now," he shouted to her as she ducked behind the wall. "I'm starting to become very unconcerned with your well being."

"You didn't seem all that concerned when you were shooting me at the hotel," she called back and there was silence for a moment, probably as he tired to remember what she was talking about.

"Hey, you shot at me first and I had no idea it was you trying to land a sniper's bullet in my head. I was just going about my business trying to kill my mark," he told her.

"Exactly," she said though she doubted it had been loud enough for him to hear it. She shook off the thought and the feelings that came with it, she had to stop letting herself get distracted. Turning back around the corner she spotted him quickly, he was mostly hidden in a doorway but she could see the tip of his shoulder and part of his arm. She fired in that direction as she made for the kitchen, covering herself as she ran.

She was so busy figuring out her next move that she didn't notice him come through the second doorway. It wasn't until she saw caught the movement of him raising his gun in the corner of her eye that she noticed him. There was no time to be surprised or to think, she dove behind the kitchen counter as he fired several bullets at her. She felt a sting of pain in her neck and reached a hand to it to find blood, it wasn't deep but that had been close. The glass fruit bowl that had been on the counter shattered and she felt several shards of glass bounce off her back as she moved across the floor.

There were only three bullets left in her gun now and her spare clip was in her purse. She had to get back to the living room somehow and she only had three bullets to do it with. Damn it, why hadn't she thought about the ammo before, she never screwed up like this. She lifted her head over the counter slightly to try and find out where John was but she couldn't see him. How many bullets had he fired? What gun did he have? She tried to remember if she'd gotten a good enough look at it.

She wasn't going to get anywhere hiding in the kitchen, she had to go out there and take the risk or she was going to run out of bullets and get shot. She stood up, her eyes swept the room and her gun followed them as she moved toward the door. John was no where to be seen as she stepped out into the hallway and moved slowly toward the living room. It was quiet, scarily quiet and she could feel the knot in stomach tightening.

Her purse was in sight now, sitting on the couch exactly where she'd left it. She didn't even get chance to take another step toward it before more bullets came at her from the other entrance to the room, there were too many damn doorways in this house. She managed to duck behind the couch and reached around to grab her purse pulling out the spare ammo clip. Footsteps on the other side of the couch caught her attention so she fired her three bullets toward it hoping to buy herself enough time to reload.

She had to do it quickly, relieved when she was holding a fully loaded weapon again. She obviously didn't know as much about John as she'd thought she did but he was clearly good at this. She heard the click of a gun, he'd reloaded as well and it seemed they had both lost the opportunity that running out of bullets would have provided them with. Looking out from behind the couch she saw him and fired at him straight away trying to make the shots count but he'd seen her as well and disappeared behind the nearby armchair.

A second later bullets came at her again and she had to duck back behind the couch. It didn't stop him though, he fired at her though the couch, the bullets tearing through the fabric and she had to flatten herself to the floor to avoid being hit by them. One of them grazed her arm before she could get down but she had to ignore the pain for now. The gun fire stopped and before she could get up herself a hand grabbed her and pulled her up from the floor. She flung her arm back hitting John in the face with her elbow and he let go of her with a grunt of pain.

She turned around to swing for him again but he caught her hand mid air and kicked her legs out from under her so that he was the only thing stopping her from falling. His gun was still in his other hand and the sight of it reminded her of her own which she'd dropped on the floor by her feet. She regained her footing and twisted herself around so that John couldn't keep his hold on her. Swiping her gun from the floor she turned and pointed it at his head coming face to face with barrel of his gun as well. They were stood mere feet from each other, at this distance there was no missing and any shot would kill.

Her eyes met his, they were both breathing heavily, John had a cut on his head and another on his shoulder from where bullets had come so close they'd left a graze on his skin. She knew she had some of her own, the one on her arm was probably the worst but there was another on her neck, it had only nicked her skin but a few centimetres to the right and she might not be standing there now.

John lowered his weapon and she felt herself panic. "I can't do it," he said dropping his gun to the floor.

"Pick it back up," she ordered him but he didn't move just stared at her. "Pick it up," she shouted more desperately but he shook his head. This could just be an act to get her to lower her weapon, from the way he was looking at her she knew that wasn't true. Damn it, she had to do this, she had to kill him, he was a rival agent, he'd lied to her. The firm had rules and she couldn't break them, he had to be eliminated. She tightened her finger on the trigger but he was still looking at her and she couldn't do it.

He must have seen the change because in the next moment he was closing the distance between them. He grabbed her hand that still held the gun pointing at him and pushed it to the side, crashing his lips to hers. His free hand went around her to pull her closer and she dropped the gun to reach for his face trying to get closer still.

She knew she should have killed him, her firm were going to go crazy when they found out she hadn't but as he backed her against the wall she couldn't make herself care. She'd known if she gave herself chance to think then she wasn't going to be able to do this. He'd put his weapon down though and looked at her with so much sincerity that she hadn't been able to pull the trigger. There was something else in eyes as well; a look she hadn't seen since they'd first gotten married, a look she'd forgotten.

"John," she breathed as his hand slipped under her shirt to find her skin. Any thoughts of repercussions went out of her head as his lips covered hers again.

TBC