Thank you to Aveline Archer for practically writing this for me. Read and Review...

CHAPTER EIGHT:

Angel.

Emma casually walked towards the Port of Genoa, glancing at her watch to discover she was ten minutes early. Jane was doing surveillance on Anton Rodgers, the brother of her blackmailer and the teams intended target – while Benji and Will kept an eye on his associates. Ethan convinced the team Anton was about to make a move to leave the country, and that he and Emma would wait at the port to head him off. But the reality was they were going to corner her blackmailer, and force him to lash out so they could take him out.

Emma breathed in the salty breeze blowing through her hair and relaxed against a metal railing. Fishing vessels and tourist charter yachts danced upon the wavy water, and seagulls squawked as they flew over the isolated port.

She and Will hadn't discussed the kiss they'd shared the day before, but settled into an uncomfortable truce.

"You have some nerve bringing me here."

Emma whirled around coming face to face with her blackmailer. He was a short, slender man with a distorted face – this skin slightly pulled too tight beneath short black hair. If she didn't know any better, she'd assume he was wearing a mask.

"We had a deal."

"You should've thought of that before you tried to use my family against me."

"Don't pretend to have the moral high ground here; you're no better than me!" He snapped as Ethan's voice crackled through my earpiece.

"Anton has three brothers, two here with him and one in prison. Your blackmailer is someone else."

I stared at the man standing before me but couldn't find his features in my memory.

"Are you going to tell me Ethan's plan or not?"

"Not yet." She folded her arms across her chest. "You've lied to me, you said Anton was your brother –"

"He is!"

"According to my sources he isn't! So you tell me the truth or I'm gone!"

The man smiled and touched his neck, scratching at the skin so it was forced to peel away and he gripped a flap of skin, tearing it off to reveal the stunning features of a woman. She lightly shook her head allowing her lush blonde waves to settle around her face, her hazel eyes staring defiantly at me.

"I should've given you more credit Emma," she dropped the mask. "I'm Anton's sister; Angel. Now tell me where my brother is and you can go back to your pathetic existents."

"No."

"What?"

"Did you honestly believe I'd turn on my friends?" Emma lightly shook her head. "You should've killed me when you had the chance, because your precious brother is now in the custody of IMF."

"Bitch!" Angel's hand instantly swung round to grasp the gun tucked in the back of her loose-fitting pants, but before Emma could reach for the knife in her ankle sheath, a bullet fired from Angel's weapon.

Emma's world seemingly shifted into an alternate reality where everything played out in slow motion. Angel's image blurred as Emma's blue eyes shifted from the smoking gun down to her stomach where her hands clutched at the wound weeping blood. She stumbled backwards into the railing and dropped to the ground.

Another loud gunshot filled the quiet space and the woman who fell perfectly into Emma and Ethan's trap awkwardly fell to the ground. Ethan's clean shot went straight through the bitch's shoulder. As much as they wanted to kill her, she was better in IMF's custody with her brothers.

Emma watched silently as Angel's blood pooled around her when she passed out from pain – all the confusion and suspicion of the past few weeks had ended.

Ethan jogged along the wharf towards them, ignoring Angel's limp body to come to Emma's aid, pressing his finger into his ear. "We are a go – Rogers and his men are to be taken alive, repeat, they are to be taken alive!"

He knelt beside her, removing a small tube from up his sleeve. The sharp needle shot out as he lowered his voice to a whisper, putting into action the second part of their plan to free Emma from any repercussions.

"This will slow your heart rate and put you under for ninety minutes." He stabbed the needle into her arm making her yelp. "There's a motel next door to the morgue. Go to room six, you'll find everything you need to start fresh."

"Except Will." She muttered letting him inspect her stomach wound.

"You're doing what's necessary." He replied. "You'll be okay if you get the bullet out cleanly."

"I've had worse."

"The clean-up crew is on its way and Roger's in custody."

"Jane didn't kill him?"

Ethan chuckled, "Don't sound so surprised."

"EMMA!"

Ethan glimpsed over his shoulder and shook his head. "Get ready kid, your acting skills are about to be tested." He moved away so Emma could watch the team run towards her. So much for her easy exit.

Will dropped to his knees beside her, his warm hands cupping her face. "Stay with me Emma!" He pressed a hand against her stomach, pushing her damp bloodied hands further into the wound.

She released a pitiful cry, while Will called for the helpless looking team to help. But everyone appeared paralyzed, glancing between Emma and the blonde lying nearby.

"Who's that?" Jane asked.

"Anton Roger's sister, she was waiting for him and got off a shot." Ethan replied.

"It hurts," Emma muttered. Her tongue slid over her parted lips as she tried to concentrate on Will's face, and it was a handsome face. She adored the light blue shading of his eyes, and the way his hair flicked up off his forehead, but what made her heart flutter most was the way he looked at her – as if she was the only person in the world. "I'm sorry Will." She mumbled fighting through the meds pumping through her body to touch his face.

"Don't be, we'll get you fixed up," he promised flashing her a grin even though her blood stained his hands, to be forever there in memory.

"We were great together."

"We fought all the time."

"But the makeup sex was worth it." Her fingers slipped from his face as her heart began to struggle to beat.

"No!" Benji cried stepping forward only for Ethan and Jane to hold him back as his friend began to pass before their eyes.

"Damn it Emma! Stay with me!" Will cried.

"It's too late for me," her eyelids fluttered as Will rested his forehead against hers, their heated breaths mixing before their lips met. Emma felt a tear run down her face as he pulled away. "See you on the other side." She whispered closing her eyes to savour Will's face in her memories as her last breath passed her lips.

"EMMA! Emma wake up!" Will cradled her face, gently shaking her to no prevail. She was gone. He'd never get the chance to tell her how sorry he was, or make up for the lost time when they should've been together.

"We need to go Brandt." Ethan stated reaching for Will's arm but he shook it off.

"I won't leave her here!"

"The team will take care of her." Ethan roughly hauled Will to his feet, guilt washing over him as the agent before him mourned his lost love. He understood the pain and the sacrifice but in that moment he would've given anything to tell him Emma would be just fine.

Benji grabbed Will's other arm, the two of them forcibly dragging the broken agent away while Jane followed quietly behind them.