Chapter 6

April 26, 1996

"You're back in town?" the bartender asked as she sidled herself up onto the barstool and smiled at him.

"Yep, business calls," she smirked at him as slid her a scotch in her glass. "Well done." She grinned back at him. She took her time with this drink, honing into the conversation at the pool table behind her. Apparently, tonight was just a boys' night, which made things easier for her. Two rounds and they would be done. The sooner the better, she needed to get him before the plan for Henry was played out. There was no way she would not spend the rest of her life without him.

"I'm going to grab us more beers," his voice stung since she now knew he had something to do with her husband's capture. The whole reason for her being here. He was going to pay for his connections to Saslov but not before they got intel out of him. Also, she needed the bug back. She counted his steps as he drew closer and swung herself around right in front of him.

He threw a smile her way while asking, "You're back?"

"One night only," she replied her voice sultry and seductive. She grabbed the pool cue from his hands and swayed her way over to the pool table, carrying her drink in her other hand.

"Well, Romeo and Juliet, Samson and Delilah…baby you can bet…" the local band sang "Fire" with a bit of an Irish brogue mixed in. She sidled up to the same pool table she flirted at less than a week ago. She was careful not to catch the eye of the two other agents in the room. Still annoyed that Conrad would not allow her to go alone. He raised his voice at her in yet another argument about this mission, "If something happens to you, Henry will never forgive me!"

"You boys up for another game?" she asked as she approached.

McWilliams' friends turned as they heard her sultry voice. "Woah…look who's back?!"

She grabbed the chaulk and teed up her pool cue, "Nervous, boys?"

"No, not at all," McWilliams walked up behind her carrying four beers. "Are we boys?"

He handed them their beers and put his beer down on the edge of the table and racked the balls. Taking the triangle away, he turned to her and said, "Ladies first!"

She broke sinking the number four solid pink ball. She made quick work of the table sinking two more before missing the fourth. On purpose. She turned to the high top and took another sip of her scotch. Eyeing the agent who had moved in closer.

McWilliams took his turn and missed on the second, while his buddies mocked him.

Laughing back at all of them, she bent over the table for her next shot. The rough, worn-down green made her hand itch as she laid it on the table. Her short black leather skirt showed off the beauty of her long legs giving him a reason to want to leave. She sunk the red number 3 in a side pocket and missed on the next turn. Not on purpose.

Ten minutes of back and forth on the table was beginning to feel too long to her. Her tight button-down pink blouse was unbuttoned to show just enough to the boys.

She put aside her frustration and focused on what was in front of her, "Do you and the boys have other plans tonight?" She whispered to McWilliams as he was about to hit.

Hitting the cue ball on an angle his number 15 brown striped ball smacked into the wall and rolled down the side of the table.

"Ohhh…tough one," she winked at him.

"I'll stick with brown. Number 7 in the corner," she smirked, bent over and sunk the brown solid into the left side pocket almost right in front of him as he sipped his beer.

She moved around the table passing him by, "No plans" he whispered in her ear. She could smell the beer on his breath and tried to ignore her disgust.

"Well, let's wrap this up then," she leaned over right in front of him. Taking a quick glance back at him over her hips. "Number 5, right corner pocket." The clack of the cue hitting the solid white filled the area as the band took a break.

"Yellow, one of my favorite colors. Number 1, right side pocket," she smiled at him. It rolled slowly into the pocket, almost not making it as it teetered on the edge. "C'mon baby," she whispered, the smoke in the room getting to her and she wanted to get out of there. It sunk ever so slowly. She breathed a sigh of relief.

"8 ball, side pocket," she said. The quick shot meant she was out of there. Now to just take the souvenir with her.

"Double or nothing?" he asked.

"Early morning tomorrow. How about you join me back at the hotel? It's just right across the street," she asked.

"Let's go," he mouthed too close to her again.

As they walked across the street, the air was damp. She looked up to check the sky. Clear now but she could see clouds working in. They would have to work fast.

They made their way through the lobby catching the glimpses of a few "staff members."

She was relieved when "the gentleman from the bar" met them at the elevator so they weren't alone. Making their way down the hallway to her room, she laughed as he brushed his hand up her arm.

She fiddled with the key until the door unlocked, she turned to face him and placed a harsh kiss on his lips. The kind that would always turn a guy on. She pushed the door open behind her and they stumbled into the room.

Before he could even pull off her lips, the needle was in his neck. She jumped back and he tumbled down.

She glanced at Jim, who had been standing in wait in the bathroom doorway and said, "That was so close," she gave him a shocked look.

McWilliams laid in a heap in front of them, as he smirked at her, "Move out of the way next time."

She chuckled as he said, "Go, you have a plane to catch."

"Any word?" she gave him the worried look.

"In operation now," he said.

She scurried over to the other side of the room where Jim couldn't see her. Threw her wig into her bag and changed into jeans and a shirt before making her way out of the room and down to the car waiting for her.

The same tall, Irish guard came in to bring his dinner. He watched as he struggled to open the lock again. He stared back at Henry, who pretended to be asleep sitting up against the cold wall. The guard laid down the tray and went to get help.

Three guards came back into the room with him, quarreling with each other so loud that they couldn't hear what was going on outside. But, Henry could. He was trained to hear those specific noises. His moment had come.

They approached the cell and he waited. They tried the combination again. Then started yelling again. Then the shots rang out. They turned to run as Henry jumped up and opened the lock. His backup was here.

Taking the lock with him, he snuck up behind them as they hid behind the door. He whacked the new guy in the back of the head with the lock leaving a gash and immediately knocking him out. The guard in the middle turned as Henry punched him in the face. A Marine kicked in the door and fired a shot that ran through the side of the guard right in front of them. The guard fell as Henry continued to battle the second guard. Henry grabbed him around the neck and spun him to given them a shot. The guard slumped as Henry backed up and let him fall.

The fellow Marine yelled, "C'mon" leading his way out the front of the restaurant. He could hear the helicopter coming in. It was then that he spotted him. To the right of the doorway was Saslov's body face down. Henry leapt over to it, his boots scuffing on the dirt of the floor narrowly avoiding Saslov's dark red blood leaking out from under his body.

Henry stopped when the Marine yelled at him to move, he reached down and despite the pain in his sides he pulled his and Greg's dog tags over Saslov's head and the photo out of his pocket. Then, he slammed his head back into the cement floor for good measure.

Looking up, a guard was making his way towards him with a knife out. Henry looked to his right at the broken mirror. A long-pointed piece leaned out of the frame. Without a moment to think, he grabbed it and threw it on the floor smashing it as the guard, who only wore sandals, slowed down. Henry ducked and the Marine took his shot, then grabbed Henry by the back and yanked him out of the building not letting go as they ran to the waiting Blackhawk. Henry was too weak to make that sprint.

He lifted him up and threw him in while an Army soldier on board grabbed him by the arm pulling him in as he screamed, the pain in his left shoulder shifting down through his hand. The helicopter took off swiftly with two more guarding it.

The medic on board immediately started working on him, "Captain, how are you feeling?" Opening up his flight suit, only to find the lashes from the whip.

Henry groaned in pain, "Hurt, tired, thirsty! I want to see my wife and daughter."

"Soon," he chuckled as he put the IV in him. In short time, Henry was out.