Author's Note: I want to take a chance to thank all of my readers. You guys are wonderful. As you can see this is the newest chapter. Sorry this one took a little longer, I had to choose between two drafts. I decided you guys would like this one more. You guys are going to love this. As always those of you who have been leaving reviews without accounts, your replies are at the end of the chapter. If I missed anyone while replying to reviews, I'm sorry. I decided to try my hand at a Harry Potter fiction and it turns out that one is actually just as popular as this one. Who knew...
Chapter 44: A Means to and End?
Vincent looked down at his phone and stared at the number, he didn't recognize it. "Sir?" asked Diederich curiously as he stared at the address, "Problem, there are several locations the last one has a carrot next to it," he stated as he scrolled through the message. Vincent glared and asked, "What's the address?" Lucius had a feeling that things had just gotten far more complicated. "It's outside of London," he stated as he showed Diederich the address. The Germans blue eyes narrowed as he looked at the details and hummed, after a moment he was pressing a Bluetooth into his ear and made a quick call. "Phipps, we know where they are, we're going in with our team," Diederich said quickly as Vincent turned on his heel and rapidly made his way out of the studio, Faustus was on his heels. At some point both Ash and Claude had vanished, which worried him but he had a feeling the stubborn chef had decided to go on his own in search of his lover. "What? We didn't send you that address! What do you mean that it's empty?" he asked in confusion and he hissed. Diederich rubbed his temples and looked at the noble man beside him. Both Vincent and Lucius were staring at him. "How many ghost addresses are in play?" he asked after a moment.
The German's jaw dropped as he looked at Vincent with a grave expression, "Nine, there are nine locations in play," he stated as the Phantomhive lord smiled. It was unsettling to see, and Diederich realized that the man was plotting, "We are heading to the location we received, we will be in the air in 10," the German informed Phipps before hanging up. He looked over to see the slate haired lord grin broadly, "We have something Phipps doesn't," commented Vincent as he pulled out his own mobile. Lucius stared at the man as though he were insane, Phipps was the chief constable of Scotland Yard, which meant the man had more resources than Vincent was supposed to. Vincent held the device to his ear and spoke swiftly, "Lau, I need a favor, which port do most of Blanc's shipments come in?" he asked.
Diederich blanched, of all the people he was calling he was calling Lau, "Excellent, I want you to check the rest, I'm placing a call with Vanel. He will meet you at the docks where he had influence," he stated smoothly. Once he finished the call he sifted through his contacts for Vanel, "Who are Lau and Vanel?" asked Lucius. Diederich's eyes widened as he looked at the Billion heir with a hint of disbelief, it was only then that he remembered the man was from New York and wouldn't know these people. "Lau is the head of the Triad here in London, as well as the Black Lotus, the man may own an art gallery but his expertise is in other goods," explained Vincent as he selected Vanel's mobile number. Lucius paled visibly as he watched the slate haired noble get to work, as though this were simply another day at the office. Then again, for Vincent this was his day in the office. "Vanel?" asked Lucius hesitantly. Chocolate brown eyes shifted as he looked at Lucius, his lips curved as he smiled crookedly, "Azzurro Vanel, son of a mafia boss from Italy, he's here watching their investments," he replied before pressing call and holding the phone up to his ear.
Lucius stopped dead in his tracks in the hallway and stared at the noblemen's back as he continued down the hallway. Diederich was the only one who seemed to notice that the New Yorker was no long behind them and paused. "Who are the others?" he asked slowly as he watched Vincent lean against the wall and talk with a smirk that most would mistake as one of flirtation, not darkness, Lucius could only imagine the kind of conversation which was occurring between them. "The Undertaker is a renowned food critic but also one hell of a slippery bastard, the man can solve puzzles almost as fast as Vincent and is very good at making incidents disappear. Madame Red is a physician. Knox and Spears are an interesting duo, they are charmers and honestly they get the job done," Diederich explained. Lucius eyed the English Nobleman hesitantly, he couldn't help but wonder what a man as dangerous as Vincent was doing on the loose. "If he has so much influence and power how the hell is he still loose?" asked Lucius seriously. If he were in New York, Vincent would either be behind bars or working for the FBI.
Diederich chuckled, "He's a Phantomhive, it's expected," the German replied before turning his attention to the confident noblemen, who's eyes were sparkling and Lucius could tell that the man was gearing up for war. "Okay the Italians and Chinese are working together, Lau and Vanel will be meeting us at the address we were sent," he explained as he turned his attention to Lucius, "It's your decision whether or not you will join us. If you aren't going to, you know where the door is, but if you breathe a word of this to anyone I will destroy you." Vincent's tone was dark and dangerous, leaving no room for argument and from what Lucius had just learned of the man, this one wasn't to be trifled with. In the past thirty minutes he had been shown the darker side of the man, it was terrifying, seductive and utterly complex. One minute the man was smiling as though he were speaking to a lover, only to learn that he was plotting with two mob bosses and planning on taking down a rival. His every movement was elegant, calculated and debonair; he was the very definition of nobility. Lucius had met a number of nobles, but none of them were as elegant or charming as Vincent. The slate haired noble was always on guard, he was like a snake rather than a dog, sly and slippery but firm in his ideals. He shivered as he felt those chocolate eyes looks right through him, there was no escaping this man, and suddenly he realized that he was going to have to do as this man said from the moment he followed Vincent into that Green Room. The golden eyed man shook his head, no, it was the moment he agreed to be a judge and fund the kitchen that he was at the mercy of this man. He had made a contract with the devil himself and now he was at his mercy. He looked over at Diederich, only now did he understand that to be in contact with Vincent Phantomhive, it wasn't temporary, it was for life.
"I'll come," he replied after a moment, Diedirch nodded in agreement and began making the arrangements. This was one massive shell game and none of them knew where Claude and Ash were. A surge of nervousness ran through Lucius Faustus as he came to the realization that his son, his only heir was out there without any idea of just what he was up against. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed a sleek silver case in the hands of the German. Diederich placed it on the table and popped the clasps revealing a Walther PPK, complete with silencer and four clips. Lucius' eyes widened as he watched Vincent shed his coat and slip a holster over his shoulders. "I thought firearms were illegal," commented Lucius as he watched the man slip into the leather straps as though it were simply a jacket. Vincent was silent as he reached into the case and caressed the cold metal of the gun with his gloved fingers, without a second thought he watched as Vincent checked the clip, then spout and finally turned the safety on. The swift movements left Lucius speechless as he watched the nobleman finally slip the weapon into it's holster. It was as though the gun was Vincent's oldest friend. He watched as the nobleman slipped the clips into his pockets and then put his jacket back on.
He watched as the nobleman finally pocketed the silencer and turn his attention to Diederich who was checking his own firearm. Without a word the gun was tucked away and they looked at Lucius. "You will stay behind with Madame Red," Vincent instructed as he began walking out of the room, with Diederich in tow. Lucius nodded as he followed the pair who looked as though they were marching off to a war, then again this was a war, the only thing he didn't understand was where the authorities were. He was about to ask when he noticed a tall young man leaning against the door of the exit, he was dressed in an expertly tailored suit, the man smelled of gunpowder and wood. He had white hair and a pair of piercing eyes. "Phipps, I thought you would be chasing Claude," Vincent stated with a grin. The man shrugged and Lucius stiffened as he noticed a badge on his belt, "Lucius, meet Chief Constable of Scotland Yard, Charles Phipps," said Vincent simply.
Phipps quirked a brow as he gave Lucius a once over and asked, "He's staying with Red right? I don't want to go chasing after his ass, it's bad enough I have to look out for yours Vincent." The man's tone was filled with irritation, his posture screamed special training and Lucius began to wonder just what this man had done before. "He is, you've never had an issue chasing my ass before Phipps, why now?" asked Vincent with a carnal grin. He heard Phipps sigh as he ran his hand through his hair, "Vincent, who wasn't chasing your tail? If I remember correctly you didn't seem to mind either, as long as you managed to obtain a place of power," Phipps commented as he stepped in front of Vincent. His eyes were daring the other man to take another step, and the tension in the air became so thick that it was possible to cut it with a knife. "You're point?" asked Vincent darkly as he glared at the man before him. Lucius couldn't believe what he was witnessing, the fact that Vincent was even daring the man was mind boggling but to be so open about his past was another thing entirely.
"Vincent, as soon as you step out those doors, you will be considered a criminal and I have no obligation to protect you," stated Phipps, he looked a little upset about this and Lucius stood in confusion until he realized that the man was talking about the concealed weapon. "Why are you challenging me now?" asked Vincent. Phipps looked to Diederich, there was something in the man's eyes which told Luicus to look away. "I have a very bad feeling about this, Vince. You and I both know my instincts are never wrong. Please let us handle this," Phipps pleaded, "Your wife and son need you." Vincent drew a deep breath and just for a moment the man finally looked his age, his eyes hardened as he placed his hand on the door handle. "I know they aren't ever wrong, but Phipps if we don't stop Angela now, we will lose everything. She's bringing more people in illegally by the day and forcing them into slavery. I'm not about to let that happen, on top of the fact that an innocent man is being held captive," he stated.
There was a pause as Phipps and Vincent looked at one another, both seemed to be analyzing the situation in an attempt to find an alternative. After a moment Phipps stepped aside and commented, "I am heading to the other building, I received a text from Ronald and William, and I'm going to check it out with an infiltration unit. I'll let you know what I turn up," Phipps stated. Vincent nodded and was about to push to door open when Phipps called, "Vincent, be safe." The slate haired nobleman paused and looked over his shoulder before giving a curt nod and pushing the doors open. The bright rays of the sun blinded Lucius for a moment as he left the safety of the studio in favor of attempting to save the man his son loved.
~~xXx~~
The metal door of the warehouse flew open and Claude quickly slipped into the room, only to be met by a blast of ice cold air, it felt as though he had stepped into a freezer from the restaurant. his golden eyes searched the darkness only to find a silver can lying on the floor beside a note in a plastic bag. Ash dashed in behind him and spat, "You could have at least brought in one of your knives, honestly man, do you even think?" He paused before the sight on the floor, light brown liquid was all over the floor and he could smell the sweet sticky soda. Claude slowly knelt on the floor and looked at the silver can, only to realize that it was a can of Diet Coke, which had probably exploded due to the cold temperatures of the room. The can looked as though it had been split in half and the red writing stood out in the dimly lit warehouse. "What?" asked Ash in confusion. Claude slowly slipped on a leather glove and picked up the note which was in a plastic bag. He held it vertically for a moment so that the few stray crystals and beads of Diet Coke fell to the floor.
He hummed as he looked at the penmanship, "Angela," commented Ash over his shoulder. Claude nodded, he would know her handwriting anywhere, she was his toughest critic in France and would leave a note for him with all of her alterations. "We are at the wrong warehouse," Claude stated as he looked at the coke can. Ash snorted and shouted, "You think!" Claude shook his head and sighed, of course the man couldn't see it, he was blind. "No, even though this was meant to deter those looking for Sebastian, it wasn't meant for us," commented Claude. Ash's lavender eyes widened in confusion as he looked at the chef, "What?" he asked as he ran his hand through his hair nervously. "This was meant for Vincent, not us," commented Claude as he looked at Ash. The note referred to the Guard Dog, not them, which meant that someone had intercepted the note and turned it around. Ash looked at the note that was still in Claude's hand and asked, "Then what now?"
Claude sighed as he dropped the note to the floor and was about to say something when he heard a pair of muffled voices. His head snapped in the direction of the open door and he quickly moved across the building. He could smell tobacco from cigarettes and a hint of liquor. "Can you believe her? He's an English citizen and she's torturing him," commented one of the voices. He heard the familiar click of a lighter, followed by a sigh, "Honestly, nothing shocks me with her anymore. Ever since what's his name ended up challenging her brother she's been having issues," commented a second voice it was slightly more raspy than the first. Claude was quiet as he listened through the crack in the door. "The other man with her, Francis? He's a creep. Honestly the man should be arrested for general creepiness. The way he looked at the poor chap, honestly I wouldn't want to be him now," the other commented. Claude listened and noticed how they began to vanish, they were walking away. Claude looked through the crack and quickly slipped through it. He then gestured to Ash to follow. They stepped lightly as they began to tale the two men. With each step Claude began to wish that he had listened to Ash, the two men were dressed in matching suits and carrying guns, they were about his size and looked to be in excellent shape.
Claude's eyes narrowed as they turned the corner and he noticed another warehouse. His eyes widened, "Hard to believe that she had chosen the warehouse next door, then again Vincent would have broken into all of them at once," commented one of them. Claude continued to follow them as he wondered just how much damage had been done to his lover. He was hiding behind a wall of shipping containers when he heard someone running. "There was a beautiful car found, it's sure as hell not hers. It's far too expensive," shouted one of the men. Claude paused when he heard that someone had found what they called a beautiful car and had a feeling that it was his car. "What kind of car?" asked one of the men.
"You're not going to believe this! A Lotus Elise, and it's a sexy one too!" shouted one of the men enthusiastically. Claude sighed as he looked at Ash, of course it was his car. He shouldn't have driven the Elise, he knew better. Ash grumbled as Claude attempted to figure out just how to get into the warehouse without being seen. "Now what?" asked Ash as he glared angrily at Claude. Golden eyes widened as he looked at the Patissier, there was a pause as he remembered the one fact that he could never forget, he was a New Yorker. If there was one fact about a New York, was their temper, it tended to be violent and they had no issue dealing with lawsuits. Claude slipped his hand through his hair and realized he was going to get nothing done dressed the way he was. "Ash we've got to get the security away from the building. Since they found my car they will be looking for me," he stated as he unbuttoned several buttons of his shirt. Ash's eyes widened as he looked at the Head Chef as though he were insane. "What the hell are you thinking?" he asked, "They have guns!" Claude sighed and nodded as he looked at Ash with a grin. "I know, it's motivation. I'll ditch them and then double back. Angela will let you near her, I can't get close to her and we know that," he stated.
Ash crossed his arms and asked, "How do you know they will know that the Elise is yours?" Claude smiled and shook his head, of course she would know everyone had just seen the same car around the world hours ago enter the studio lot with Sebastian. "With her resources it would be strange if she didn't," he commented. Claude rolled up his sleeves and sighed, he was about to do the most daring thing he could think of and all to save his Raven. "No, I'll do it," said Ash as he slipped out of his suit jacket and threw it on a shipping container and slipped his tie off. He looked as his shoes as he did this and grumbled. "No, Ash," Claude stated harshly. Ash laughed darkly as he shook his head and looked into golden eyes, "Yes, Claude. I did love you, but not enough, I couldn't love anyone. I know you love him, god I know it," Ash stated as he grabbed Claude's face with his hands and forced golden eyes to look into his. Claude felt the chef's hands against his face and noticed the determination in his eyes. "He loves you too, I'll be damned if you lose your shot at happiness," the white haired Patissier stated.
Claude stared at the man, in all of his years of loathing the man before him he suddenly felt a swell of respect. "Besides, you and I both know that I'll be able to lead them away further than you ever could," stated Ash as he rolled up his sleeves and took out an elastic hair tie. Claude stared as he watched the chef tie his white hair back, a few hairs were missed but all in all the man looked as though he were ready to run. "Here goes nothing, once we start this, we are going to have a ton of guys with guns looking for your ass, get in, get out and don't get caught," Ash stated as he slowly pulled back from the Head Chef. "If you get caught I can't save you," Ash stated simply. Claude could tell from the white haired Patissier's tone that he was telling the truth, this was dangerous and if either of them were caught they would be shot, or worse. Ash turned to leave when Claude called, "Ash!"
The Patissier pivoted on the ball of his foot with his hands in his pockets and asked, "What?" Claude smiled sadly and looked at him, "Thank you," he said, only for Ash to nod in return and march toward the men. Claude waited and watched closely as Ash introduced himself, the only thing he could hope for was that the man wouldn't betray him.
~~xXx~~
Sebastian's hand was shaking as he aimed the gun at Angela, the source of all his pain for the past few years. Yet he couldn't bring himself to squeeze the trigger, he couldn't become the aggressor, he just couldn't step over that line. Angela stood there coolly with gun in hand and smirked, as she did so she lowered the weapon and sighed, "You're not going to shoot," she stated as she put the weapon in the holster, "You don't have the guts." Sebastian glared as he turned the safety off and jabbed it at her, "No, I will if I have to," he stated. His hands were trembling and he couldn't seem to get them to stop, the weight of the gun was immense and he felt as though he would drop it at any second. Sebastian's body tightened, it was as though there was a spring in his stomach and as he tensed the spring did too. He just wanted it to end, he couldn't stand it. He wanted it to be over.
The door opened and he watched as a man dashed over, "A Lotus Elise was spotted, and half of our men are missing," he reported. Angela blanched, her eyes were still on Sebastian but he could tell that it was taking everything she had to not look at the man who had reported this. "What color was the Elise?" she hissed through gritted teeth. Sebastian paused, Claude drove an Elise. Her subordinate was trembling as he replied, "Bright blue with white racing stripes, we ran the plates. It belongs to Claude Faustus." Sebastian was quiet and for a moment he thought he saw fear in her eyes. Her fingers balled into fists, and he could tell she was itching to pull her gun out and hunt the man down. "Where is he?" she shouted with frustration, which confused Sebastian, he couldn't understand how the Head Chef was so dangerous until he remembered who the man was, a billion heir in the employ of a Phantomhive, who was on television not too long ago and standing side by side with the winner.
"We don't know, we also don't know where the other men are and there is something else," he stated sheepishly, he looked as though at any moment Angela was going to pull the gun on him and shoot. She glanced over her shoulder and asked, "What?" The man slowly approached and held out a white business card, even from a distance Sebastian could see the letters VP in black on it. His eyes widened as he looked at the familiar card. "Where was this?" she asked curiously as she took the card in hand and turned it over. "Under one of the wipers of the Elise," he explained. Francis looked at Angela and asked, "What?" as she stared at the card in terror. In seconds her phone was in her hand and she was typing on it's face rapidly. "No," she whispered, her hand was shaking as he face went from white to a dangerous shade of red in seconds. "FUCK!" she shouted as she gripped at her hair. Laughter rang through the room as she tipped her head back and cackled like a mad woman, it was a chilling sound and made Sebastian shiver.
"You, how did you do this?" she asked as she glared pointedly at Sebastian. The patissier stared at her in confusion, he didn't understand a word of it. What ever made her angry it must have been a result of someone else. "What?" asked Sebastian innocently as he watched her eyes flicker to the men waiting for an explanation of some kind. "What of the other warehouses, all except two have been compromised and the Yard now have the merchandise, there was a helicopter sited a few minutes from the main hub with all the digital records," he replied. Angela's nose wrinkled as she looked at the man, "Make sure that they are on their guard, that damn Guard Dog and his Master must be out and about," she stated, "I secure the other houses and shoot them on sight," she commanded. The man stood there for a moment and looked at her before saying, "What about the missing men?"
"I don't give a shit about the men! Find Faustus and secure the other warehouse!" she roared, which caused several men to look at one another before rushing off. They left the room and by the time they were gone it left Sebastian standing with Angela and Francis like it had been before. Suddenly a wave of nervousness hit Sebastian, if Angela got her hands on Claude she would kill him, there wasn't a question. "Why Claude?" asked Sebastian slowly. A feral grin curved her lips as she looked at him, "Simple, he's got money and can do damage, I'm going to crush him before he even has a chance to call in the cavalry," she hissed. In seconds the silver gun was in her hand and she took aim at Sebastian, "Now I have to get rid of you, and I was really hoping to keep you. Ciel paid such a high price, yet he couldn't keep his father at bay, so now we have to break the deal," she stated.
Sebastian stared at her and watched as she cocked the pistol. This time he couldn't hesitated, "Good bye, Michaelis," she whispered, Sebastian squeezed the trigger while aiming at her chest and two shots rang through the air. He felt fear rush through him as he listened to the gun slam the shot out. This was the end of it all.
~~xXx~~
Vincent looked out the window of the helicopter, he felt his heart beating a mile a minute, he was about to drop into a situation that might take him from his wife. She was dying and he was going to abandon her if he was shot, and yet if he didn't do this London would fall into the hands of a woman who was destroying her from the inside out. Vincent grip his teeth and he felt his muscles tighten, it was quiet in the helicopter as it flew, Madam red was in her white coat and looked ready to roll with her emergency bag in hand. The helicopter landed and in seconds he and Deiderich were out and ready to go. He noticed that both Lau and Vanel were present, which made him smile, all of the noblemen, excluding the Undertaker, was present. "Let's get started, Lau give me what you got," Vincent commanded as he walked over to a table which had been set up before hand. He noticed the blue prints, a few satellite images and even some inferred material was there. Lau even took the liberty of obtaining shipping manifests and logs, making Vincent smile, he did love the fact that the Chinese were through.
Lau was standing in a black shirt and black combat pants, a bullet proof vest covered his chest, and he was wearing a pair of yellow tinted shooting lenses, leather climbing gloves and a pair of combat boots. His canvas belt was loaded with goodies, all compliments of the Chinese mob. He noticed a Glock under the man's arms and the knives strapped to his waist. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed Ran Mao standing beside him, rather than guns the woman was armed with swords and knives, a personal preference of the Chinese woman. "This warehouse has been registered under the name Polaris, it's a shell company for the group we know of as Reformation," Lau explained as he pulled out the logs and pointed to the ship numbers, "So far it's all Chinese furniture and such, however occasionally there is a container which the contents are listed as produce, yet when inspected they turn out to be empty," he stated, all the containers which had been produce were circled in red. "I checked with customs and this has been happening for a while, always owned by a different company," Lau explained, it was now that the Italian stepped in.
"I did a little digging on my side and learned of a company in France who has been exporting containers using other providers, the companies listed are all middle men, the one who purchased the containers are actually Reform," Vanel explained. Vincent nodded, this explained why he couldn't pin them down, they were thinking quickly as to how to evade him, naturally it worked until he had two other smugglers take a look. "Okay, now to the building," he stated. This was where Diederich stepped in, "The building is like all the other warehouses, two large entrances, one in the front the other the back, and four side doors," he explained. Vincent pointed to each of the points on the blueprints and looked at Vanel.
"The Chinese will be with us here," he stated as he tapped the northern entrance, "Vanel has the South. The goal is to take out as many people as possible as quietly as possible. This place is guarded like a fortress, Angela seems to have acquired a small army to guard it," he explained. Vincent looked over the plans, it was simple enough to guard, but to have so much security for simply a warehouse was excessive, unless, "Diederich what did the inferred scans show?" he asked as he pulled the pages. He smiled and looked at them, "Gentlemen, notice something missing?" he asked as he flattened the roll out beside the satellite view. Faustus was now there and hovering behind him and asked, "What?" Vincent chuckled as he pointed to the heat signatures around the building. "Simple, if there are men going in and out, where is the head signature?" he asked.
Around the warehouse were red and yellow dots, which represented figured but the warehouse was an icy blue, nearly black. "It's shielded, high quality stuff, whatever is in there is valuable, and I doubt it's people," stated Vincent, he sounded confident as he pulled out an ear piece and hooked it up to a wireless radio, "Okay let's get this party rolling," he stated. Lau nodded and quickly called his troops to attention. In seconds they were off to battle, Vincent was in the lead with Diederich and Lau at his back. Suddenly he felt as though he were invisible, his emotions were telling him to stay on alert, but his thoughts told him that what ever happened here would bring the end. He watched as the Chinese forces moved in, they were like the plague, quick, silent and lethal as they knocked each man unconscious. Once by one they fell like flies to the hands of Laus' forces, which were under the command of Ran Mao.
They were silent as Lau took the lead and stood before one of the side entrances, his back pressed against the building and from the inside Vincent could hear quite the commotion. Lau held up his fingers as Diederich took aim at the lock and nodded, 3, 2, 1. Vincent gave the trigger a quick double tape which resulted in the lock being shot through. Lau kicked the door in and the rest of the team streamed inside, naturally they were all trained since it was the Government of China's policy to demand service from both men and women. Diederich and Vincent were the last two to enter. It was a mess as shots were fired and he found himself in a maze of servers. "What the?" asked Vincent as he looked at them, cords hung from the ceiling, he now understood the air conditioning and why the building was shielded, he was standing in a clean environment surrounded by servers, all of them working. His eyes widened as he cradled his Walther PPK and pointed the silencer around the room. His heart was pounding as he entered in front of Diederich who was watching his back, they rapidly began clearing each of the isles, one of Angela's good jumped out before him and Vincent quickly shot him in the head. He heard Diederich fire off two shots rapidly and they continued to move. He had no idea what was in the servers, "CLEAR!" called a voice. Vincent held his gun at the ready for a moment, he felt uneasy, there was no way it was that easy. "CLEAR!" called Lau, and Vincent slowly lowered his gun, he looked at Diederich and noticed the man seemed as uneasy as he did. "What the hell are all of these?" asked the German as he looked around at the black towers, their fans were spinning a mile a minute and he noticed the wires connecting them all together. "Guys, I found something!" called Lau from the middle of the warehouse. Vincent quickly began heading that way only to find himself before a massive wall of monitors, with a single chair and desktop of keyboards. "What the hell is this?" asked Vincent in shock.
He felt a chill down his spine and hear a shout, "Look out," as he was being forced harshly to the floor, his chest collided with the concrete, and a strong hand on his back. He heard several shots fired and he paused, "Dee?" he asked as he felt something wet and warm on his neck. He looked up to see Diederich looming over him, there was a large chunk of his neck missing. "Fuck," he hissed as he got up and watched the German crumble. "Dee, hang in there," he commanded as he elevated Diederich's head. He pulled his leather belt off and in a flash was making a tourniquet for the wound in the man's arm. He cinched it tightly and watched as the German wince. "Get Red!" he shouted over the commotion as he pulled out his handkerchief and pressed it to the wound on his neck. Blood was seeping out of the man and now covered Vincent's silver suit, too much blood, too quickly. He pressed harshly on the wound, praying that it would clot soon. He watched Diederich's eyes become sluggish, "Hang in there, you're not dead yet," he shouted as he pressed the once steel grey handkerchief to the wound. He could feel the warm slick and sticky blood between his fingers and fear blossomed in his chest. "Vince," breathed Diederich, the nobleman didn't berate the German for the tender use of his old nickname, "Hush Dee, help is on the way," he whispered softly as he looked around for the woman in white. He needed her now, only then did he noticed the man they missed dead on the floor.
"Vince, I," he began and closed his eyes before opening them again. Vincent was about to berate the man for speaking when Madame Red slid to his side. "Hush now," he commanded. Dee looked at him with wide sad eyes and whispered, "I love you," before closing his eyes and passing out. Vincent's lips parted as he stared at the man, Madame Red was shooting orders left and right and began to work the Lord's fingers from the wounds. Vincent felt tears roll down his cheeks as he looked at the man before him, those three words he had waited to hear but didn't when he was younger. He knew, for so long he had known, the man had taken the bullet for him and it was now he heard them. He looked at the German tenderly as he ran his fingers through the man's hair, it was soft and reminded him of a Shepherd he had not too long ago. "Too late," he whispered. He was married, he had a son and now he learned that the man he had desired loved him. He was shaken from his thoughts by Madame Red who was giving orders to have the man brought to Phantomhive Manner for treatment. It wasn't unusual, Vincent did have everything to treat wounds of this nature, he was just in shock from the confession.
~~xXx~~
Fear flooded Claude as he heard the two shots ring in the air, they echoed in his ears as he willed his feet to move closer. He threw the door open and stared at the sight before him. Sebastian's nude body in all it's glory glistened with a sheen of sweat, he was standing with a gun in his hands, trembling and looking at a bundle on the floor. Claude slowly drew closer and noticed a look of terror in Sebastian's red eyes, he was stiff and his hands trembled. His eyes slid across the floor to the bundle on the floor, blood staining white fabric and a pair of disbelieving lavender eyes looking back at him. Silver hair fell in her face and her lips were parted. Lying in a pool of crimson blood was what remained of the white demon from hell. "Sebastian," Claude said softly as he took another step toward the chef. The man's gun was now aimed at Francis, in many ways he couldn't blame him, the man had been the source of his nightmares. He didn't hear the Head Chef and Claude noticed how Francis was cowering. Claude took another step, with each step he was drawing closer and closer to his lover. The pain and the fear were slowly fading, as did the anxiety and sadness, he was so close. With each step he slowly reached out, he was standing beside the man as he gently wrapped his hands around the top of the gun and gently peeled Sebastian's hands away. He flicked the safety on with his thumb, his other hand slipped around Sebastian's head and covered the man's eyes as he pulled his trembling lover into his chest.
He felt the man stiffen and he whispered, "Hush now, it's over," his voice was soothing and soft as he felt the man tremble again. Suddenly a pair of slender arms wrapped around his chest and Claude smiled softly, before adjusting the hand without the firearm to wrap around Sebastian's shoulders. He felt something damp against his shirt and felt the man shake, Sebastian was crying. "It's over now," he repeated. Claude dropped the gun to the floor in favor of preventing his lover from falling to the floor. Francis scrambled across the floor, took the safety off and pointed the gun at the pair. "No it's not, he's mine!" shouted Francis as he flashed the gun at them. Sebastian nuzzled into Claude's chest and whimpered, he was so tired, and Claude could tell his raven's courage was fading. Claude shook his head and replied, "No he's not, he never was, from the moment I saw him I knew he was mine."
Francis hissed with irritation before going to squeeze the trigger, Claude whispered softly to Sebastian, "Close your eyes." He watched the man close them and just when Claude thought they had reached the end there was a final shot. Claude held his breath as he waited for the pain, only it never arrived. There was another shout and suddenly it sounded like a herd of cattle had run in. Claude opened his eyes and stared in shock at Ash who was panting, with Phipps at his side. He walked over to Claude and handed the man his suit jacket which he had left in the Elise. Claude nodded before opening it and wrapping it around Sebastian's slender body. "You're safe," he hummed before crushing the small Patissier to his chest and relishing in the feeling of Sebastian's body against his own. He was home, and in his arms. It was only now that he remembered the shot and looked over to see Francis laying on the floor.
"Are you alright?" asked Phipps, his firearm was in his hand and he looked at the pair. Now Claude knew who fired the shot. "Yes, we are now," he replied. Phipps nodded and noticed the gun, "You're going to find three sets of prints on that, Sebastian shot Angela, and I removed the gun from his hands," stated Claude. Phipps hummed as he looked at the bodies on the floor, the mess which had been caused by Sebastian firing the gun and shooting Angela Blanc was huge. They both knew that this would come back the haunt them, yet right now that didn't matter, all that mattered was that Sebastian was with him. Phipps walked over to the bodies, "I'm going to need to take his statement, but I want the paramedics to take a look at him," he stated offhandedly as he knelt before the bodies and assessed the damage. "Huh?" he asked as he reached between them and picked up a familiar white business card with VP on it.
Claude's brows lifted as he looked at the card, "A man brought that to her, it was on your car," Sebastian whispered. Claude looked down at him and asked, "My Elise?" Sebastian nodded as he slowly released Claude and pulled the jacket tighter around himself. Claude didn't remember seeing it when he left the car. "It's not mine," he commented Phipps was holding it with a pair of metal tweezers and turned it over, "Checkmate, a castle in the sky will only fall without foundations," Phipps read allowed. Claude shrugged, it made no sense to him. Sebastian seemed to rouse and he said, "That's what it said," he paused and looked at the card thoughtfully, "She was looking on her mobile at something, and then started yelling."
Phipps reached into her pocket and pulled the device out and opened the last app, "The Royal Bank of Scotland, she was checking her balance," he commented as he turned the phone around. "Apparently she's broke, from the transaction history the money vanished and was funneled into a charity for abused children to remove them from homes. It was done during this mess," he stated, "I'll see if I can get the boys at the office to sort this out." Claude nodded as he watched the man pull out a bag and slip the mobile into it. He looked at Phipps and then to Sebastian, "I'm going to have Grey take his statement, and Claude I'll do yours, we already have Mister Lander's, once those are done you may go home. I would suggest taking him with you, he looks ready to collapse," Phipps instructed. Claude nodded and watched as Grey walked over with a blanket in his hands. He stood before Sebastian and held the blanket out to him.
"Hello Mister Michaelis, I'm Grey, Charles Grey. I'll be taking your statement," he stated. Grey's tone was gentle but Claude could tell that it was taking everything the man had to be tender. He made note to thank the man later. He looked at Phipps and smiled, everything was going to be fine, just fine.
~~xXx~~
Fingers stilled after hitting enter on the keyboard of the sleek Lenovo Work Station. A steaming hot cup of coffee sat off to the man's side, close to a black USB key which was no longer flashing. "Finished?" asked a lush voice. Green eyes gazed at the screen as they watched the laptop erase it's files and tracks which had been made. "Yup," replied a chipper voice. Green eyes were hidden behind large frames and blond hair fell in his eyes. "Easy peasy lemon squeezy," said a playful voice as he ran his hand through his hair and tilted back in his seat in the cafe. "I had a feeling it would be easy for you Ronny," the man stated, green eyes gazed back at him as the Sommelier slowly pressed a kiss to the Head Waiter's head. William took a sip of his tea and watched the program finish, "Where did you put the money?" asked William curiously. Ronald hummed as he closed the laptop and began walking. "I'll tell you later," the blonde commented as he popped the hard drive out and looked at it.
Just as they were walking out of the small cafe a large black town car pulled up. William hummed before opening the door, "After you," he stated. Ronald looked down and noticed the drain in the road with little thought he allowed the hard drive to slip from his fingers along with the USB Key and land in the sewer pipe bellow, which would whisk it far away. Ronald smiled and said, "Thanks," before slipping into the back. William chuckled and followed suit before closing the door behind him.
Review Replies:
Maya: I'm glad that you are enjoying this piece. Thanks for the correction! I have High School French and it's been a while since I actually wrote in it. So I'm a tad rusty, I'll correct it soon. I hope you liked this installment.
Guest: Don't worry I'm not going to kill him! Honestly I'm cruel but not that cruel.
Yu Ping: Told you it was going to be explosive. I hope you like Lau's actual occupation, as well as Ran Mao's. Anyway I wanted to give you guys a shock, and I hope this did the trick. There isn't much of signature Lau in this chapter, but there will be in the next one. I hope you enjoyed and it's always a pleasure to hear from you.