CHAPTER 25

Remington slipped a hand behind his back and waved his hand, indicating Laura should take cover.

"Agent Roselli of the MI-5," repeated loudly, while Laura took cover in the closet, purposefully. "Would ye mind lettin' me 'ave a closer look at that?" he requested, sliding easily into a heavy, Gaelic accent. He indicated the badge. The dark, curly haired, brown eyed man with a cleft in his chin, plowed his way past Remington and into the room, his eyes taking in all of it and measuring up Murphy in a pair of seconds.

"Where's Holt?" Remington's eyes flickered to Murphy, saw the same in the other man's eyes as he knew was is in his: Determination Laura would not be taken in.

"I'm sorry, 'olt ye say?" "'ave no idea who this 'olt fella is yer lookin' fer."

"Cut the crap, Steele," Tony shot back, walking down the length of the room and pulling back the drapery panels to reveal shuttered windows and no one hiding behind. "You're no more Lord Naas than I am…" He leered a bit "…Although more than one woman's referred to me as Prince Charming…" He winked. "Now, where is she?" He looked to Murphy. "Michaels? Gotta admit I didn't expect to find you here. Your file says you avoid dangerous cases and don't get your hands dirty." To Murphy's credit, he didn't so much as flinch.

"Still do," Murphy returned.

"You're aiding and abetting a murderer wanted by Scotland Yard," Roselli pointed out, getting down on his knees to lotok under the sofas and bed. "That's as dangerous and dirty as you can get."

"I think of it more as helping a friend whose incapable of murdering anyone. Don't your files ell you that?" he asked with a bit of a snide edge to the last.

"As a matter of fact, Holt's file says she is capable of killing under the right circumstances." He nodded his head toward Remington. "Especially where this guy, that secretary of theirs and her family are concerned."

"Killing to prevent someone else from losing their life is a far cry from murder," Murphy pointed out.

"Maybe she was pissed off that he got her boyfriend deported," Roselli suggested. Murphy looked at Remington.

"Left that part out, didn't you?" Murphy accused, realizing too late he'd just completely blown Remington's cover.

"It was mere speculation on our parts until the good Agent here, confirmed it." Remington turned to Roselli. "Do you have a warrant to search the castle?"

"Don't need one. I've been given a tip a dangerous criminal is hiding on the premises." Getting to his feet he walked towards the small bathroom. "Your file shows you're stubborn and hot tempered, Holt, but not a coward." Remington groaned inwardly, knowing Laura wouldn't be able to resist the bait.

"I'm not," she answered, stepping out of the closet. "I also have no interest in going to prison for something I didn't do." She planted her hands on her hips. "How did you find us?"

"The Earl of Claridge," Tony answered, directing Laura to the couch. "Take a load off."

"I don't believe you. The Earl of Claridge wouldn't do that," she denied, looking to Remington to gauge his reaction to this news, and was pleased to find he was shaking his head in denial.

"I agree with Miss Holt."

"I didn't say he sold you out," Tony corrected, flopping down in the chair across from a now seated Murphy. "I said he told me where you were. I'm here to get you out."

"We prefer to work alone," Remington rejected.

"You're not doing so hot if you ask me," Roselli countered. "Someone put a fifty-thousand pound bounty on your head two days ago. I get the feeling they'd rather you be recover dead than alive." Laura's eyes widened ever so slightly.

"They did?"

"Ya. Which is when the Earl of Claridge called me in." He turned his attention to Murphy. "Hey, Pal, why don't you go find the butler and tell him to get me something to eat. I'm starving." Laura frowned at the man's lack of manners.

"Never mind, Murph," she vetoed. "I'll do it."

"Uh-uh. You're staying here," Roselli insisted.

"Mr. Steele just instructed Mickeline we're not to be disturbed. Besides,the way you barged in here, it'd be my guess Mickeline is rounding up a half-dozen rather large men to escort you from the castle even as we speak. If you're actually here to help, you wouldn't want that. And if that doesn't convince you?" She lifted and dropped her hands. "Then the file you allegedly have on me would make it very clear that I'm not going anywhere without him, she indicated Remington with a slant of her eyes. He gave her a shrug of his own. It said exactly that.

"Go ahead, but make it quick. You don't want me getting impatient."

"You should also know I don't respond threats, implicit or implied, Mr. Roselli," she tossed her head. "I imagine Mickeline is close by, given the circumstances, but if not, I'll make you something to eat myself." Remington and Murphy chuckled. She'd essentially just threatened to poison the man, offering to feed him as she had.

"Make it fast," he recommended, "We've got a lot to go over." Laura shot him a look as she reached for the bedroom doorknob and yanked the door open…

Then promptly slammed it shut…

"Gun!" she shouted, diving to the ground away from the door, just as several shots splintered the wood in the door.

"Great," Roselli complained. "I didn't think they'd make their move until dawn." He followed Remington and Murphy to the floor. From his shelter on the floor in front of the sofa, Murphy stretched mightly, his fingertips finally grasping a strap of his backpack and yanking it near.

"You knew someone was here waiting to ambush us?" he demanded to know. Unzipping the pack and pulling out his holster, he remove his revolver from his bag.

"That's why I'm here, to get them out and take them to a secure location. Bounty hunters are coming out of the woodwork looking for her and whoever tried to kill him is still out there." Murphy rummaged in a pocket of his backpack and pulled out a handful of bullets. He shoved them in his pocket in case they were needed later.

"So, who's out there now?" Remington asked, looking from Roselli to Laura who'd taken cover behind a slim outcropping of wall.

"The only thing I know for sure is it isn't the Yard," Roselli admitted, "And that whoever they are, they want to put a hole through one of you." He scanned the room for another door. "This room's bigger than most people's apartments and you're telling me there isn't another door?!"

"Ironically, it was once considered the standard… for protection," Remington remarked. Wouldn't happen to have another of those, would you?" He indicated Roselli's gun with a nod of his head. His instincts were proven right when he'd assessed the man after he'd barged into the room when Roselli reached down and pulled a revolver from an ankle holster, then slid it across to floor to him.

"Vile things," Remington muttered, releasing the chamber and making sure the gun was fully loaded. "Can't stand them."

"Yeah, well they might save your ass right now. Is there another way out of here?"

"A window in the bathroom. There are vines directly beneath that make for a fair descent." He turned to look at his partner. "Laura, can you get to the bed?" She looked from the door to the bed. She'd be in the open two, three seconds. It was a risk, but she trusted her partner to keep her safe. She didn't hesitate, getting in the stance of the runner she was, then pushing off, taking four running steps and diving over the bed. As if their aggressors knew of her move, the wood on the door began splintering again.

"No offense, Steele, but I'd rather have the Boy Scout covering my back. You next."

Remington wasn't going to argue. Wriggling around, he ducked his head out from behind the couch, checking the way was clear, then leaved up, dove into a neat summersault, landing in the bathroom where Laura was trying to open the old window.

"Let me," he offered. He wiggled, he jiggled, he slapped and he shoved and finally the ancient windows creaked open, just in time for Murphy then Roselli to join them as they heard the bedroom door slam against the wall, the room breached. Roselli closed and locked the bathroom door.

"Let's get a move on," Roselli demanded. Remignton turned to shoot the man a quelling look, then climbed through the window, using the ivy on the walls as a ladder to lower himself to the ground. He considered warning the heftier Roselli that the vines had only been tested on his and Laura's weight, but opted not to, for no other reason than being peevish about the how the man arrived and his overbearing attitude.

Once he dropped to his feet, he waved Laura to begin her descent, easily catching her at the waist and lowering her the ground. Murphy followed, then Roselli. Halfway through his descent the vine holding him snapped, leaving him falling to his back in the shrubberies and muttering obscenities as he extracted himself from the vegetation. The sound of the bathroom door being smashed opened echoed below.

"The stables," Remington announced, dropping to his hands and knees to use the shrubbery to block being spotted. The other three followed suit. Remington looked over his shoulder and with some pleasure informed the agent,. "Sorry, Agent Roselli. We have transportation enough for Miss Holt, Michaels and myself. Looks like you'll have to leave the way you came."

"Can't do that, Steele. I'm under orders to take you and Holt to a secure location," Roselli refused.

"That's going to be difficult to do without transportation," Remington noted aloud, peeking around the corner of the castle and seeing the coast clear so far, took the turn.

"Michaels can stay behind," Roselli decreed imperiously. "They've got no beef with him."

"Forget about it," Laura snapped. "Mr. Steele, Murphy and I are a team. We don't split up." They sidled along the castle wall in silence until reaching the other end where they could clearly spot where the getaway vehicle was awaiting them. As Remington peeked his head around the corner to check if the coast was clear, a bullet ricocheted off the wall near his ear. He hit the ground.

"Company," he gasped, cocking the pistol Roselli had given him.

"You and Michaels cover. I'll get Holt to the barn, then lay down ground fire for you." Remington's thoughts stuttered. He wanted her safe with him on one hand, but if anything happened to her – anything at all, and it was he these men were after, he simply wouldn't be able to live with . "Steele, it's my job to get you two out of here and I never fail at my job." Remington's upper lip curled.

"If anything happens to her, I swear to you, you'll wish we'd never crossed paths." Laura blinked at the ferocity of that truth reflected in his eyes. She'd been tempted to protest the audacity of the men surrounding her acting as though she needed their manly protection. That look, however, screamed that Remington wouldn't listen to a word she had to say. It was rare he put a foot down, but this foot was so firmly planted it was buried a foot underground.

"I'll make sure she's safe," Roselli vowed. Remington looked unconvinced of that. "Look, I'm not going back to a member of the peer and telling him I allowed my targets to either get away or die." Remington considered the argument for a moment, then nodded his head then watched as Laura and Roselli crouched down in a runner's start. "Cover us."

Remington gained a knee, with Murphy directly below him, lying on the ground on his stomach.

"Ready?" Remington asked Murphy.

"Ready. Shoot sparingly. We don't have a lot of ammo." Nodding, Remington counted three then issued the 'go.' He and Murphy hot a steady pace of bullets, one covering while the other was reloading. While reloading the second time, Remington check Roselli and Laura's position. Another fifty-yards and they'd be safely within the walls of the barn. He retook his position, cocked the pistol then realized…

"Michaels, it occurs to me they're not shooting and I don't think it has the least bit to do with our expertise with our weapons."

"I was just thinking the same thing," Murphy concurred. "Which means…"

"It's me they're after," Remington included.

"That we are, mate," sounded a rough, British voice behind him. Murphy winced and Remington closed his eyes as they heard the sounds of pistols and shot guns cocking behind them. "Now, you'll be coming with us. It's up to you if you arrive dead or alive." Remington and Murphy lay their guns on the ground and stood slowly, hands raised in the air. They were outgunned and outmanned.

"It seems to me either way I end up dead," Remington stated succinctly… and accurately. The bearded man in

"That'd be true 'nough, but you're friend's life will depend upon your cooperation." This time it was Murphy who laughed.

"You expect us to believe you're just going to let me walk away when I can identify you? Yeah, right." The men around the leader laughed.

"You might be right about that," the man admitted, "But it's not my decision, but the boss's to make. You have a it of hope, cuz by the time you could tell anyone what's happened, we'll be long gone." Remington turned to look over his shoulder at the now vacant field.

"And Laura?"

"The whole of Scotland Yard is looking for her. We want nothing to do with the bird. Too much trouble."

"Then I do see where I've much choice," Remington noted, resignedly. He had between there and wherever they were going to come up with a plan, but in the meantime, Laura would reach safety. That was all that mattered.

Then, with a thundering boom and then a rushing roar, everything good in the world came to an end, when the barn Laura and Roselli had escaped to, exploded, raining down burning wood around it.

"Laura!" he screamed. Without thought, he bolted from where he stood, running towards the barn. "Laura!"

Behind him, a gunshot sounded and he tumbled to the ground…


A/N: I hope you enjoyed the story and thank you for taking the journey with me.