She knew he'd do it.
It was no surprised but it was still annoyingly, blood boiling-ly infuriating.
The fool was doing nothing but endangering himself, and with his current mindset probably endangering John.
God, what about John?
John was, or had been, a smart man. A man that knew in an even fight he didn't stand a chance, so if he had lured Gordon there, there would be no way he would let it be even. If he wanted Gordon dead, well…
She shifted, rapping her fingers against her arm. She wanted Parker to go faster, but she'd already asked several times and he had on the last three told her that he was going as fast as he could, that they'd be there soon, only ten or twenty minutes more. He had informed her of this what felt like a good while ago now, so with luck it meant they'd be there soon.
She just had to wait.
She just had to be patient.
She was often complimented on her patience, told it was a strong trait of hers. It wasn't, she was terrible at waiting. She had simply perfected distracting herself while waiting, letting her mind wander.
With a deep breath she let it out slowly, sinking back into the cream interior of the car, and let her mind drift while she toyed with the silver chain pendent. It had been one of the first gifts Gordon had got her after they had officially started dating.
He wasn't someone she really thought she would find herself with. She never had a thing for blonds, and honestly preferred her men taller, she was very much a follower of the tall, dark, and handsome train of thought. She'd really always been more for Scott if she was honest; not that she would ever admit that out loud, man had enough of an ego, or, had had one anyway…
What had always put her off Gordon was really that a lot of the way he came across seemed a little forced, fake, almost. It always had been as long as she could remember.
They'd not grown up together, but they were certainly familiar with each other. Their fathers had met through the military, her father had been in the British army, Jefferson the American Air Force. The pair had known a British Marine, her honorary Uncle Charles who had introduced them while Jeff had been in England on an Air Force thing (she hadn't been interested enough to pay attention to why or what) but Jeff had bought his sons—at the time it was just Scott and Virgil—and his wife Lucile. Penny herself hadn't been born yet, but it was due to that instance that her father and Jeff had become friends, and it turned into a yearly visit. The years passed, and every now and then Jeff would turn up with another child, eventually her own mother and father having her. Lucile had, from what little she could recall, doted on her, the closest she could get to a daughter of her own. When Lucile had died the boys and Jeff stopped visiting, and Penny hadn't heard from them for years.
Life simply went on and she did, if she was honest, forget about them a little. She had joined the military herself (a family tradition), completing the mandatory four-year service before bowing out.
She never knew that her father had kept contact with him, though she wasn't surprised to find out—they were, after all, friends, why wouldn't they have?
What had surprised her was to hear that Jeff had set up a business. He'd rapidly and ruthlessly eliminated or consumed his competitors; Tracy Industries was a fearsome beast. The man had then gone on to tell her and her father that he had this dream, this International Rescue, that his sons were to be its core and he wanted them to join. Penny hadn't been sure; she'd joined on a whim with the promise that if it wasn't for her she could leave. She hadn't, though, because she discovered the boys, the men she had for years considered siblings, were, well, trapped. She had remained for them and in the end she had to admit she had enjoyed it. Not to mention it had led to her and Gordon actually getting together. Over time she'd found his personality mellowed, and once they started spending actual time together the boisterous nature had gone, she'd found the man under the act and discovered she really rather liked him.
The car slowed and turned, the change causing Penny to open her eyes to see where they were, fingers tightening on the pendent.
Parker had slowed the car to what felt like a crawl as he worked his way through the maze of warehouses. She wanted to get out and run, but she knew this was faster, despite what her brain told her.
'Ahead, M'lady.'
She leaned forward, looking out the front. The car that Gordon had taken sat there waiting.
They were close. 'Where's the warehouse?'
He pointed to the left and the large looming building awaiting them. 'That one, supposedly.'
With a silent prayer she opened the door and stepped out onto the rough and uneven tarmac, thankful for the solid boots she'd picked up at their last stop, practical but went well with the attire she'd packed for the journey. She couldn't help it.
She hopped down the stairs to the doors, Parker on her heels. She tried the doors, unsurprised when they didn't open.
She had to get in, a twist in her gut saying she needed to get in now.