Ch 14: Let's Go Home

Thursday, September 12th, 1:23 pm

The whiskey washed over my tongue, a smoky symphony of flavors that mingled and reminded me that there were good things to drink in this world besides water.

I hadn't realized how sore I'd gotten from the past few days... or how tired I was. It wasn't just a feeling of lack of quality sleep. It was a deep, bone-weary exhaustion after several days of hard labor... something that simple sleep couldn't cure. Only a long rest would do that.

I hadn't thought I would return to the States in need of a vacation from my vacation.

Taking my last sip of whiskey, I peered out the window and enjoyed the view--puffy white clouds blanketed the expanse underneath, and a bright, cheery sun hovered about twenty degrees above them. I'd always enjoyed the sight of the clouds below me; it provided a small thrill to see something that had always existed overhead now stretched out beneath me. It was especially comforting now, reminding me that humanity had overcome and risen above the limits of nature--a nice reminder after days of wet and cold in the forest.

"That went quick," Emily said.

I looked from the window to my sister, who was eyeing me with concern.

"Sorry," I said, remembering that she was an addict. "I should've moved."

Emily shook her head, "No... you're fine. I'm just worried about you."

"I'm surprisingly okay," I said. "It's just nice to sit in a chair and not worry about getting hunted down."

"Nat," Emily said to the girl sitting next to her. "Would you get him another whiskey?"

Natashya peered up from the book she'd just settled in to start reading. True to form, the wild, bohemian beauty had shed her shoes and curled up in her seat, tucking her bare feet underneath.

She looked from Emily to me, her inviting lips creeping into a mischievous smile. "What? Am I to be his flight attendant? I suppose Emily will be your bodyguard?"

I shot her a look severely lacking in amusement, and Emily looked at her, her expression saying, Did you really just say that?

Natashya's smile faltered. "Sorry. That was in poor taste."

She slid off her seat, gave me a smile that was more sweet than sassy, and plucked my glass from my hand. She leaned in and pressed her lips to my forehead. They felt warm against my skin and reminded me that we had once been intimate. Regularly. I could still remember vividly how she tasted... the way her mouth felt on mine. The way those lips felt around my member. There was an involuntary hitch in my breath that I was sure both ladies heard.

Then she straightened, gave me a knowing look, and vanished down the corridor.

Emily's pale gray eyes lingered on mine, and something besides concern had creeped into the look she gave me. She knew I still had a thing for her girlfriend, and it bothered her--a mixture of jealousy, insecurity, and... confusion.

Confusion because my sister and I had the same lover. Even though it was mostly at different times, it was strange enough. It was made weirder by the fact that there had been some overlap.

But that wasn't all.

We weren't technically related, but we grew up together through a marriage between her dad and my mom. We shared two half-brothers, but Emily and I were adoptive siblings, and Natashya's involvement with both of us sparked an undefined tension that put a lot of weight on that word--adoptive.

I stared into those wide, expressive eyes and glanced at those full, lush lips--the bottom one was caught between her teeth as she stared at me.

I was the first to look away, losing some proverbial game of chicken that I wasn't even sure we were playing.

Maybe the forest hadn't been all bad.

No... the forest had been very bad.

______

Wednesday, September 11th, early afternoon

There were fifteen men in Psalter's group. All of them were dressed just alike--in non-descript black tactical gear with various tools and armaments strapped to them. Psalter and I watched them work. He was making sure his directions were followed. I was still trying to keep my lungs in my chest from all the smoke I inhaled.

Some of the men were stacking the bodies of Tanaka's mercenaries and stripping them of anything valuable, including their outfits. Others were already gathering the supplies Chloe and I had scrounged for and were undoing all the hard work we had put into our shelter. Two of them were carefully trying to extract Astrid from the wreckage. They had already given her something to knock her out and immediately set to work using specialized equipment to cut her free while trying to keep the damage to a minimum. The estimated time it would take was roughly two hours.

Psalter didn't think we had that kind of time.

He pushed hard for me to remain with the team working on Astrid while he and his troops went to the cabin, but I wasn't hearing any of it. Of course, I knew better than to think I would be any help compared to thirteen highly-trained soldiers handpicked by Henry, but if there were a chance that I could do anything to tip the scales in our favor, I would seize it.

Plus, I needed to know Chloe and Shea were safe. I liked Shea. In fact, I really liked Shea. She was a gorgeous woman with a calming spirit and a kind disposition, and we enjoyed each other's company more times than I could count. I couldn't sleep with someone and spend that much time with them, only to not develop a connection. If Tanaka killed her, I wouldn't only feel guilty... I'd be devastated.

Chloe, on the other hand...

Like I said, I liked Shea, but we were never anything more than good friends with benefits. I'd never seen her as someone with whom I shared something deep and special... possibly romantic.

That wasn't the case with Chloe. I felt something... something primal and real, and I knew she did, too. If something happened to Chloe, I'd never be able to forgive myself.

No. Henry Psalter would have had to tie me up and lock me in a box to keep me from coming with them.

So, the fifteen of us walked the ten minutes needed to get to a small patch of bald land where a black helicopter sat. It looked state-of-the-art and very expensive... just like everything Psalter's team carried.

"Oh, it's exhorbitent, but it's yours," Psalter said as we loaded on the chopper. "It's custom-made based on the Black Hawk airframe. Retractable landing gear, reduced IR signature, EM masking, and the latest in rotor noise reduction. USSOC special order. I used to play bridge with the current Deputy Minister of Strategic Resources for Saudi Arabia. He helped me get a good deal. Don't worry. I'll make sure to itemize everything on the invoice for you."

Before I could respond, Psalter left me to talk to one of the crew as we lifted off, and my attention was suddenly split between the fact that Chloe and Shea were in danger and that I was now the proud owner of a state-of-the-art military-grade stealth helicopter.

"We should be there in a little less than ten minutes," he said, returning to my side. "On the way, I'll fill you in on our plans for taking the cabin."

I nodded. Ten minutes was better than the three or more hours it had taken Chloe each day.

Hang in there, Chloe. We're coming...

______

Thursday, September 12th, 1:45 pm

My phone buzzed, pulling me out of whatever trance I'd been stuck in, and I felt my cheeks heat when I looked at it.

A single image of a naked woman sitting in an expensive-looking office chair graced the screen. Her legs were spread until her thighs were pressed against the chair's armrests, and there was an unmistakable wet spot roughly the size of a quarter glistening on the rich, brown leather. Her face wasn't in view, but a hint of choker-style collar at the neck was a dead giveaway.

Anyway, it had her name at the top of the screen.

But I didn't need the collar or the name to know who it was. I would have recognized Helen's body anywhere. Her dusky pink/brown nipples, the way her natural breasts rested against her chest, and the position of each tiny freckle that occasionally dotted creamy skin... I could have identified Helen's body by touch alone.

The message under the image said, It's back in, sir. Feel free to send me another message anytime.

Despite my melancholy, I couldn't help laughing.

The phone showed her typing, and I waited patiently for it to arrive. When it did, it read, "Please don't be too hard on me for taking it out without your permission. I know I disobeyed, but I tried very hard to be a good girl.

I shifted in my seat, crossing a leg to hide my growing erection so that Emily wouldn't get a show.

I wasn't in the mood to flirt like that after everything that happened, but I couldn't deny the effect Helen was having on me, either. Her beautiful body, her submission, and calling herself a 'good girl' when she was technically old enough to be my mother... it was all incredibly hot. I would have eaten it up if the circumstances had been different.

"What is it?" Emily asked, unable to hide her curiosity.

"Nothing," I said, shaking my head. "Just Helen."

She eyed my phone suspiciously, then I noticed her eyes dart to my crotch before looking back at me.

"Mm-hm," she said with a knowing smirk. "Kid-friendly message?"

"I wouldn't give a kid this phone if my life depended on it," I said.

There were too many naked selfies on it. They would've sent me straight to jail.

"Your phone probably needs its own MPAA rating," Emily agreed.

My phone buzzed again. This time, it was Jonah. It was a picture of him and Honey eating at a restaurant. They looked like they were having fun. The message read, Hey, man. I just heard that your helicopter was shot out of the sky, you spent a few days in a forest, and that you've been rescued. I found out about the whole story ten minutes ago. I'm glad you're okay, and I can't wait to see you again.

I had to admit... it was nice to see so many messages from people telling me they were glad I was okay. Seeing the outpouring of love from people like Derrick, Kwan, Rose, Mom, Dad, Richie, and others--old friends and more recent ones--made me choke up a little. I hadn't heard anything from Jacob, but Haley, his wife, texted me that I needed to visit my nephew soon.

Money wasn't the only thing I had an abundance of.

"So," Emily went on, "Helen has a way to track you besides using your phone's location? Is that how they were able to find you?"

"Helen doesn't," I said, not wanting anyone to think that Helen had some special way to reach me. That could have put a target on her back. "I have a service that keeps track of me. Helen just made sure they were just doing their job."

"That was money well spent," Emily said. She smiled at Natashya as her girlfriend returned with a fresh drink. I took it gratefully as she took her seat.

"Did I miss anything?" Natashya asked.

"Marcus was just saying that the company Chloe worked for did a great job tracking him down."

The company Chloe worked for.

I felt my stomach drop in a way that had nothing to do with turbulence, and judging by the look on Emily's face, she knew she hit a sore spot.

I took a sip of my whiskey and looked back out the window. "They did a fantastic job," I said, agreeing with Emily.

______

Wednesday, September 11th, early afternoon

"Where is everyone?" I whispered, staring at the cabin from the forest. The clearing around the cabin was minimal--just enough to provide space for a couple of helicopters and a shed around the back. It was modest-sized and looked like it had been built in the past ten years. Rough-hewn timbers lined a porch, and there was a sturdy front door with an oval of glass set inside it that had a colored pattern. The whole thing was hardly worthy of the moniker 'cabin,' and reminded me of wealthy people trying to play at the idea of roughing it. I think they called it 'glamping.'

It wasn't what I expected, considering how much of a badass Astrid turned out to be. She kept her grace and poise while being stuck under a wrecked helicopter. Not only that, but most of the time, she'd been able to shrug off the pain as if it weren't that big of a deal. And then there was her shooting. I'd been distracted, but it wouldn't have surprised me to learn that every bullet she shot found its target.

My image of her had been that of a Norwegian princess, coming from wealth and prestige with minimal experience in anything besides navigating social situations and business. Our days together peeled back Astrid's layers. They suggested there was more to her than just being the daughter of wealthy parents, so when I went to see the cabin, I had painted a picture of a simple structure that barely had electricity or running water. I imagined it would be something more fitting for Norwegian Annie Oakley.

I shouldn't have been surprised at how modern and beautiful the building looked. After all, Astrid had managed to maintain her composure and beauty so well.

"You said there were only a handful of men left." Psalter pointed out.

His dark eyes scanned the building with such an intensity that I was sure he could have painted a picture from memory after a quick glance.

"Yeah, but I figured we would see something," I said.

"With so few left, they're all likely inside. Maintaining cover is their best defense... especially with the hostages."

"Where's Chloe?"

Henry looked at me, his lips compressed and slightly turned down, and I could tell my questions put him off. "I've been here as long as you."

"Sorry," I said.

"It's fine. Just give us a moment to assess."

We'd discussed the possibilities of saving the hostages. According to Ryo Tanaka's profile, Henry had stated that the guy likely didn't pay enough attention to his men to recognize their faces, and he was counting on that for his main plan. That had been to present some of his men--the ones he'd purposefully brought with Japanese-American heritage--as Tanaka's. They and another of his men who closely resembled me would try to convince their employer that they had captured Marcus Upton after days of hunting.

The other two plans were to get a line of sight to assassinate Tanaka or smoke them out. Both plans presented serious concerns and limitations, making the fake soldiers plan the best.

Except for one big problem.

"That's great, but according to Chloe, he's a loose cannon. Maybe he won't know his own guys' faces, but I'm a little more important to him. What if he takes one look at your guy and shoots him in the face because he's not me? What if he kills the other hostages just because he's pissed off?"

"It's a calculated risk that we're going to have to take," Psalter said.

"Shea's in there. Chloe could be, too, for all I know. I'm not risking their lives on a calculated risk."

"Do you have another suggestion?" Psalter asked.

"I go in there alone."

"Absolutely not," Henry said.

"He won't kill me," I said.

"He shot you out of the air with an RPG," Henry replied dryly.

"And since then, he's royally fucked up. He's lost his ride and can't call for backup because his dad will know he's failing. Killing me might appease Hiro, but it doesn't solve the problem of them being stuck in the middle of the forest surrounded by people who want to kill him."

"You have no leverage."

"You said it yourself," I pointed out. "I have a helicopter."

"You'll give him the helicopter in exchange for the hostages?"

"It's a sweet ride. He'll have a hard time saying no."

"And then we can just... what? Buy another and wait for someone to fly out to us?"

"You're on the clock, and I'm paying you. Do you have somewhere else to be?"

"I can't be held responsible for what happens to you if you step inside that door," Psalter said. The look on his face was so serious that I had a hard time not being intimidated. Like he said, though... I'd been shot out of the sky and hunted for the last several days. I'd also had sex with Chloe. Psalter could try to intimidate me.

"Tell you what... if I die, you're off the hook. I won't sue."

He stared at me for an uncomfortably long moment, then held up his phone. "Say it into the microphone. I want the recording to be unmistakable."

______

Thursday, September 12th, 2:34 pm

"Hey, Boss."

That voice--the moment I heard it, it was like a balm for my soul.

I tore my eyes from the window to look into my assistant's rich, brown eyes.

She was so goddamn beautiful that I felt like my heart might break just looking at her.

Erin didn't look at Emily or Natashya. She didn't even acknowledge their presence. She simply ignored them as she slipped into my lap, straddling me and cupping my face in her hands as she often did.

"I think we'll give you two some space," Emily said, grabbing Natashya's hand. The two of them got up and retreated from the area, disappearing around the corridor to God knows where.

It was just me and Erin.

She leaned in and placed her lips on mine. The kiss was closed-lipped, soft, and full of sympathy and a promise of more when I was in the mood.

Whatever you need--whether it's someone to fuck raw, or to hold you while you cry--I'm that someone. I always have been, and I always will be.

That's what her kiss said.

Placing my hands lightly on her hips, I pulled her into me, and the kiss deepened. My way of returning the message: Thank you.

______

Wednesday, September 11th, early afternoon

"You are the biggest fool I've ever met," Ryo Tanaka said as he leveled his gun at me.

Tanaka had been trying to hunt me down for days, and I had no clue what he looked like. My imagination kept running wild, picturing him as some kind of impeccably-dressed young Asian man with styled hair. He was probably a smooth talker with a charming smile.

Reality was a huge disappointment.

Sure, Hiro was a small-framed man, but I thought that might have something to do with his age. Looking at Ryo, it was probably more of a genetics thing.

Ryo Tanaka was a man roughly Erin's height and build. He was far from dressed to impress, wearing a simple pair of jeans and an oversized graphic T-shirt. His hairline suffered from premature baldness, and I could see his scalp shining beneath the thinning patch on top of his head. It looked like he might end up with a fringe of hair and a shiny pate like his father. His face was a ruined battlefield that told of a lost war with teenage acne.

Fucking Christ... this was the man who had been after me for the past four or five days? I was positive that a single good punch could down this guy.

I almost felt insulted. No punching, though.

Ryo had a gun in my face, and his two goons had their rifles trained on me. That wasn't nothing.

"Yeah," I said in response to his insult. "I've heard that before."

"You say you have the place surrounded. Why would you just walk through the door?"

"Because I don't want any more of the hostages hurt," I said. "I've got enough blood on my hands without you adding to it."

I glanced down at Shea, who stared up at me with those big, dark eyes. She looked calm at a glance, but I could see concern leaking through that facade. A strip of white cloth had been tied around her head and forced between her lips. She looked relatively unharmed, save a large, dark bruise under her left eye.

I wanted to kill Ryo Tanaka for that.

My glance at Shea didn't go unnoticed, and Ryo looked down at her and said, "That one... she's yours?"

"She works for me, yeah," I said.

"She's been a pain in my ass. We almost killed her first, after what your man did to my helicopter," Ryo said. He looked back at me, "I should kill her right in front of you for the trouble you've caused."

My heart skipped a beat. "Do that, and the deal's off. She's the main reason I'm here."

Of course I didn't want anyone else to die! There were supposed to be others in the house, but Shea was the only one I could see, and she was the main reason I walked through the door. I would have mourned the loss of anyone killed in the crossfire between me and the Tanakas, but Shea was one of mine.

Ryo stepped forward until he was well within my personal space. He was almost a foot shorter, so instead of putting the gun to my forehead, he pressed the barrel under my chin, and I could feel the gun metal dig into the soft part of my jaw just under my tongue.

He glared up at me. "I have a gun to your head. What do you have to offer?"

My stomach twisted into knots at the notion that it would be all over with a twitch of his finger. I could feel my bladder suddenly clench, begging to expel fluids. In Vegas, I had been blind, or left in the dark... confused. When Chloe showed up, everything just happened so fast.

This was different. I'd never been so viscerally aware of how close my life was to ending. Thank God I managed to keep my bladder in check, and I think I did a credible job of keeping the terror off my face.

I couldn't help swallowing, pushing my throat into the pistol's barrel.

"I have a way out of here," I said, casting my eyes down at him without moving my head.

"What do you mean?" Ryo asked, squinting up at me.

"My men showed up with a chopper. It's yours for the low-low price of releasing the hostages. I'll let you and your men walk out of here free and clear."

"Bullshit!" he exclaimed, shoving the barrel even harder under my chin.

"I swear!" I said, tilting my face back a fraction.

"How do I know they won't try to stop me the moment I release everyone?"

I was afraid he would ask that. I didn't want to make the following suggestion, but that question was inevitable. I closed my eyes and tried to steel myself.

"You can keep me until you're safely on the chopper."

Tanaka's eyes darted back and forth, and I pushed it a little harder when he didn't have an immediate objection.

"I pay all the men out there. I'm way more valuable as a hostage, and they'll be a lot less trigger-happy if I'm in the way."

He still didn't respond.

"The hostages go free, you get a way home, and my men get to bring me back to the US and get a big payday. Everyone's happy."

I felt the pressure of the gun barrel loosen. "What about our negotiation?"

I blinked at that. "You can't be serious."

"I came out here to negotiate a deal with you. I can't go home empty-handed."

"You tried to fucking kill me!"

"I'm considering your offer, you fuck!" Ryo snarled, the pressure of the pistol under my chin returning with a vengeance.

"Fuck! Okay!" I said, putting my hands in the air out of reflex. Tensions were high, the henchmen were getting fidgety, and I was afraid bullets were about to fly.

"Good," the little Asian man said, completely removing his gun from underneath my chin. "Let's make a deal!"

______

Thursday, September 12th, 2:47 pm

Our lips moved against each other, tongues playfully caressing. The heat between us was of the quiet sort--comfort, care, and compassion.

That's all I wanted.

She broke the kiss. Since I wasn't done, I immediately sought out her neck, laying kisses along it and down to the hollow beneath her throat... then trailing my lips down to her chest. Anything exposed was mine to explore in a lazy, luxuriant fashion.

Straddling my lap while facing me, Erin rested her chin on top of my head and hugged me to her. Her fingernails softly raked across my scalp as she played with my hair.

"Astrid called me," Erin said.

I paused mid-kiss and then backed up to look at her. "Why's she calling you?"

"Well," Erin said, "I am your secretary."

"Which would be fine if it were anyone other than her. Did she ask to speak to me?"

Erin shook her head. "She asked to speak to Bobbi."

"No," I said and buried my face in Erin's chest again.

"That's what I said," Erin agreed. "I told her that unless you say otherwise, she can't have access to anyone on your staff."

"Good," I said, my voice sounding muffled. I inhaled deeply, enjoying her scent, and Erin hummed in pleasure once she realized what I was doing.

"What did you say to each other?"

"In the woods?" I asked.

"This morning. In her room."

I looked back up at her, contemplating whether I wanted to tell her or not. I decided I didn't want to get into it. "It doesn't matter. She calls? Don't answer. You hear her voice? Hang up before she finishes the sentence."

Erin reached down to take my face in both her hands. "Are you sure? She's powerful and could make your life really easy or difficult."

"She's a wild card," I said. My voice sounded as hard as my feelings toward the heiress. "She almost got me killed. She almost got Shea killed. That bridge is burned."

"You can't know that for sure," Erin said. "There are a lot of scary people out there."

"And I've already got great people," I said.

"You can't afford to alienate all the other wealthy people, Marcus."

I snorted. "I can't?"

"You know what I mean! If enough of them come together, they'll have more money than you... and wealth isn't the only power out there."

"She's crazy, Erin," I said. "I can't trust her."

"I'm not asking you to date her. I'm just telling you to give it some time and then reconnect." Erin pulled me back into her chest and sighed. "Just think about it, okay?"

She started running her fingers through my hair, and I felt her press her lips into the top of my head. "I was really worried, Marcus," she whispered.

"So was I," I breathed into her chest.

______

Wednesday, September 11th, early afternoon

I stepped onto the porch with my hands up.

Well... more like I was escorted onto the porch by one of Tanaka's goons. He had one hand firmly gripping my shoulder while the other one was busy shoving a gun into the middle of my back.

With my hands on top of my head, I slowly crossed the threshold and made my way to the porch stairs. Knowing where to look, I spied one of Psalter's men crouched near one of the two destroyed helicopters.

Ryo called out in Japanese while still standing inside, and his man replied.

"Tell them to come out in the open and stand down," Ryo commanded.

"Hey!" I called out to Psalter and his men. "It's fine! I've made a deal with Tanaka. He's letting the hostages go and leaving in exchange for taking the helicopter out of here!

I had asked him to let me tell Psalter the plan over a walkie, but Ryo shot that down. He seemed to think doing it like this meant my men would be caught flat-footed, unable to properly prepare for what we were doing. In a way, that made sense.

It was also a way to get a lot of people killed if someone decided to make the wrong move.

"He wants everyone to come out where he can see them!" I called out, licking my lips nervously. "He wants you to lay down your weapons!"

Silence.

Then Psalter called out, "We can come out with our hands up, but we're keeping our weapons!"

"That's not good enough!" Ryo hissed at me from inside the cabin.

"He says that's not good enough," I repeated.

"I can't order my men to lay down their weapons and walk away from them willingly. However, I can promise they won't try to fire on you as long as you don't provoke them! The minute it looks like you might get violent, though, they will kill you!"

"Does he know I'll fucking kill you?" Ryo asked me.

"Yeah," I said. "He does, but he's responsible for his men. It'll probably be the best deal you'll get from him."

Ryo took a long time to respond. Finally, he said, "Fine!"

"Okay!" I called out. "Come out!"

Henry was the first one to step out of the woods. His hands hung loosely by his sides, his black pea coat draped over his shoulders so you couldn't see what was underneath.

A beat later, another man appeared from the treeline, his hands raised and his rifle hanging from the strap across his shoulder.

Another appeared similarly. Then another.

By the time they stopped coming out, all but three were standing in the cabin clearing with their hands up and their weapons hanging by their side or holstered.

The remaining men were suspiciously missing or were simply out of line of sight... possibly on the other side of the cabin.

"Is that all of them?" Ryo asked.

"I think so," I said, not wanting to give anything Psalter might be trying to do away.

And where the fuck was Chloe? I tried to get Tanaka to tell me if he had her without overtly asking. I didn't think he had her, but he wouldn't give me any clues. I had a feeling that if he had taken her, she would have been the one on her knees in the living room instead of Shea.

"You think so?" Ryo repeated.

"Man, they just showed up a few hours ago. I didn't have time to do interviews!" I retorted. I was annoyed. For days, I thought Tanaka was some grandmaster strategist, but his demeanor suggested he was out of his depth. This guy wasn't playing six-D chess; Ryo Tanaka was barely playing checkers.

"Okay," Ryo finally said, sounding dissatisfied. "Move."

I was escorted down the stairs and across the clearing. As I passed him, Psalter and I exchanged looks, but I couldn't read anything from his body language that hinted at a plan.

I hated that.

Once we reached the trail, Psalter called out, "Ryo Tanaka! Just so you know, if you harm that man in any way, you won't have another good night's rest for as long as you live, which will be for a very short time. I'll kill you, myself."

"Stay back, don't interfere, and you'll get your charge back unharmed," Ryo said.

The next five minutes of my life were spent at gunpoint as Goon One kept his rifle firmly planted in the small of my back, his hand still gripping my shoulder tightly as I led them in the helicopter's direction.

Being held hostage was the least torturous thing about the trip. The further we got from the cabin, the more chatty Ryo got. His confidence seemed to rise depending on the distance between him and Psalter's team. I guess being surrounded four-to-one by men who want to kill you would put a damper on anyone's confidence.

He droned on about how his father wasn't adapting well to the modern era, complaining about Hiro's lack of experience or willingness to embrace new technologies. According to Ryo, Hiro was a dinosaur trying to hold onto the dregs of a way of life that no longer existed. Hiro was so blinded by the old ways that he couldn't see his son's true potential. I kept my responses short and non-committal to keep from setting him off.

Every step closer to the helicopter, the less I respected the man. I wanted to throw up a little in my mouth from being exposed to all his whining bullshit.

Eventually, we had to cut through some woods to reach the clearing. When we finally reached it, the helicopter sat on top of a small hill like some mythical creature we were hunting.

"There it is," I said. "Can I go now?"

"Once we are on and ready to lift off," Ryo said. "I'm not interested in getting a bullet to the head because I let you go early."

It turned out that the other guard--Goon Two--was a qualified pilot, or at least he appeared to be. As we reached the chopper, he opened the cockpit door and climbed inside, checking the panel and instruments as he and Ryo conversed in Japanese. Goon One and I simply waited patiently for the two of them to confirm that the helicopter was airworthy.

Finally, Ryo returned to Goon One and said something to him in Japanese.

Goon One then escorted me to the open cargo door.

"Hands behind," Goon One said, shoving me at the entrance, then backing up and leveling his gun at me. His accent was thick, and I would have bet money he knew less than ten words in English.

"Wait, what?" I asked futilely.

"You're coming with us," Ryo said as he pulled a zip tie from his back pocket.

"The fuck I am!" I said. I wasn't exactly surprised by the double-cross. Ryo hadn't come across as the most upstanding guy, but I'd seriously hoped that Psalter's men would have spooked him enough to make him grateful to simply leave.

Tanaka pulled his gun and shoved the barrel into my ribs. God, I was getting tired of that.

"You think I will just walk away without taking you with me? Father will be thrilled when I bring you to him alive!"

I started to say something, but before I could, Goon One pointed at the ground below me and fired two shots at my feet. Dirt geysered into the air in front of me, spraying me in the face. The message was clear. Ryo was eager to bring me home, and that was going to happen. Whether or not I had some extra holes when he presented me to Daddy was another matter.

I reluctantly turned and put my hands behind my back, hoping that Psalter had some kind of plan to show up at whatever airport Ryo would be using to leave Norway.

The plastic bands tightened around my wrists, and I could practically feel his smile.

Once I was secure, he had Goon One haul me into the helicopter, dropping the gun so he could use both hands to stand me on my feet inside the main cabin. Ryo climbed into the vehicle behind us and threw the door shut.

"This is the kind of thing I wish my father could see," Ryo said as he secured the door. "People like you make deals. People like me get things do--"

Goon One's head suddenly disappeared in a cloud of gore as a shot rang out from inside the helicopter, deafening enough that I couldn't hear the rest of the monologue.

Ryo screamed.

I bellowed a curse and dove to the ground.

The cockpit door burst open, and Goon Two raised his rifle as he stormed the cargo hold.

I pressed myself into the floor, trying to make myself as small a target as possible, but as I peered up at him, it was clear that he wasn't even paying attention to me. He was much more concerned with the blonde woman diving over me like an Olympic swimmer going for the gold. She hit the ground in a roll as two shots went off from Goon Two's rifle, zipping through the air where she'd just been.

Chloe emerged from her roll into a crouch and sprang to her feet within Goon Two's personal bubble. It was too close for him to use his rifle effectively, so he dropped it and raised his fists just in time to block two headshots from my bodyguard. He followed her attack with his own as the two fully engaged in hand-to-hand combat. They were a blur of activity, with Chloe ducking and delivering a hook to the ribs while Goon Two drove his elbow into her back. There was a knee to the crotch, and then Goon Two went for her neck as he wheezed through the pain.

Movement in my peripheral vision caught my attention. Tanaka had taken a moment to recover. He stared in shocked disbelief at Goon One's corpse, and then started to whip his gun around and aim it at Chloe.

Doing the only thing I could in that moment, I kicked at his shins and ankles, managing to hook my foot around one. I gave it a fierce yank and was rewarded with the sight of Ryo's eyes going wide seconds before he dropped on his back. I rolled across the floor at the wiry man and managed to pin his gun arm under my body as I stopped beside him, close enough that our faces were inches from each other.

His breath reeked.

"Fucker!" He screamed as he drove his fist into my shoulder. Then my jaw.

With my hands tied behind my back, I yelled wordlessly in pain and did the only thing I could. I raised my head and then drove it into the man's face. Something crunched satisfyingly under my forehead.

My ear erupted in pain as Ryo struck it with his fist and I retaliated with another headbutt, my forehead becoming very intimate with his nose.

There was a gurgling, liquid gasp from somewhere behind me, and a body fell across me, pinning me on Tanaka. I could feel fresh, warm blood spill across my hands and soak my back. My heart skipped a beat, afraid that it was my bodyguard's corpse that had fallen on top of me.

"I got this, Marcus."

Chloe's voice sounded from just behind me--cold, sharp, and determined.

I struggled to roll onto my back while underneath the corpse of Goon Two. A large knife--the one Chloe had been using for the last several days--protruded from the man's throat. With Ryo's arm still pinned underneath me, I looked up to see Chloe standing over both of us like the Angel of Death. She crouched over Tanaka and placed the barrel of his own pistol against the man's forehead.

Ryo's face was a mask of blood coming primarily from his broken nose, which was already swelling. His face was in such a wreck that it was hard to make out his expression, but there was no mistaking the abject terror in his eyes as he stared at the woman who suddenly held his life in her hands. The scent of ammonia filled the air, cutting through the strong smell of iron as he let out an almost animalistic bleat.

"Please," Ryo whimpered.

"Chloe!" I panted, trying hard to ignore the taste of blood in my mouth that probably wasn't mine.

She didn't respond.

Another whimper from Ryo. "Please..."

"Chloe!" I said again. "I want him alive!"

"Tough," Chloe growled as she glared at the younger Tanaka. Her beautiful face was emotionless. Pittiless.

"Hey! It's over! We're safe, now!"

I squirmed a little more, trying to get my bodyguard to look at me. It was difficult to do with Goon Two's corpse lying pinning me down while my hands were tied behind my back.

"Shea's safe," I continued. "The hostages are good. I'm good. You don't have to do this!"

She didn't respond.

Another wordless whimper from Tanaka.

An eternity passed with nothing but Ryo's pitiful whining to fill the silence.

Then there was a snap as Chloe engaged the safety on the pistol.

Tanaka started to speak. "Wh--what are--"

Whatever he was going to say was cut off as Chloe drove the butt of the gun between his eyes hard enough to knock the man out.

"Not worth the bullet," Chloe muttered.

I stopped struggling and collapsed to the floor, panting in blessed silence--aside from Chloe's heavy breathing just behind me.

"Figured you'd try to do something stupid," she muttered.

I managed a weak laugh. "Was I right, at least?"

"Barely," she huffed. "You're lucky I know you so well."

______

Wednesday, September 11th, early evening

You've heard that expression, 'It all flew by so fast.'

It's usually said to describe moments of extreme excitement or trauma. When someone is in a car accident... or sometimes when they make love to someone for the first time. They'll recount those events, but in pieces--broken and disjoined.

That's how I remembered Vegas. My time in captivity could only be recalled in fragments and glimpses. Long stretches of time were blotted out, leaving me with a disjointed mess.

This time, it was the opposite.

I vividly recalled long swaths of my time in the forest, which lasted minutes at a time. I could replay every moment of the struggle on the helicopter. I remembered the smell of Ryo's breath and the taste of blood in my mouth.

My journey back from the helicopter to the cabin? I couldn't remember it at all. I only recalled a few fleeting looks from Chloe, grim as ever. Apparently Psalter showed up a few minutes after the fight, but it could have been hours, for all I knew. Time broke for a little bit. I guess I just spent the entire thing going over what had happened and marveling that I wasn't halfway to Japan by now.

At the cabin, I remembered one of the staff crying as he talked to someone on the phone... a family member or something.

I remember Chloe and Shea seeing each other again, and Shea hugging her tight, looking over her shoulder at me with gratitude in her eyes.

I don't remember anything else inside the cabin. I think Psalter had ordered a cleanup and investigation in case Tanaka had stashed something useful there, but I left all that behind. I didn't care. Couldn't care. It was all just too claustrophobic in there.

So I went outside to quiet myself and figure out what was going on.

Everything I had worked for over the last few days, I'd gotten. I just thought I would feel relief after all of it.

Maybe I needed time to process. Fight and flight had been my only options for so long that my adrenal glands had to be fried.

That was it. I was just tired.

I remembered hearing the thud of my shoes on the porch steps. Each one sounded like a slow, steady heartbeat... the exact opposite of what was happening in my chest.

It was over.

The bad guy was gone.

The good guy had won.

Raising my hand, I stared at the blood smeared across my fingers, surprised at how much someone could bleed. Looking at it... I should feel something, right?

I needed to feel something.

"They're telling me they have Astrid cut free of the wreckage. She'll be ready for transport soon," Henry said.

I hadn't even heard him approach. Maybe I was in shock.

I leaned against the cabin wall, dropped to my ass, and ran my bloody fingers through my hair, barely noticing the slick, sticky mess.

"Psalter," I said.

"Yes?"

"Let's go home."

______

Thursday, September 12th, 4:17 pm

I put down my phone and glanced at Erin. She was fast asleep, looking completely content, curled under my arm. I reached up and brushed a strand of silver hair from her face and ran my fingertips along her forehead, allowing myself a moment to just be in awe of the beautiful, playful, loyal creature cuddled up against me. She was perfect, and in light of everything I'd just gone through, I was eternally grateful for whatever stroke of luck had put her in my path.

I felt a lump at the back of my throat beginning to form and had to work to make it go away.

Trust the women in my life to make me feel again. Who needed counseling or therapy when I had Erin and Helen?

That was healthy, right?

I kissed the top of her head, and a small smile graced her lips. Then I slowly extracted myself from her and stood up. That little smile turned into a frown, and I did my best to placate her by wrapping a blanket around her and giving her a chaste kiss on the lips. Then I left my sleeping beauty to see someone I owed a visit.

Normally, I would pass Shea while on a flight. The tiny Pacific woman was always just a few feet away, trying to anticipate my needs. This time, there was no flight attendant. No accidentally bumping into Shea and having her ask me what I needed..

Instead, I found her on a couch, wrapped up similarly and sleeping peacefully. The bruise had darkened on her face, but other than that, she'd been physically unharmed. Mentally, she seemed fine, but after what Natashya had been through, I was going to make sure Shea got the best psychological help possible before Shea ended up having night terrors... or dating my mom.

She must have sensed me approaching, because as I stopped beside the couch, she opened her eyes and smiled at me. "Hi," she said sleepily.

"Hey," I said, crouching beside her. I ran my fingers through her hair. My heart didn't swell with an overabundance of feelings like it had with Erin, but I certainly had strong feelings for the woman I'd helped rescue from Tanaka. She'd risked her life for me in Vegas, and we had shared several tender moments together.

"You know, you don't have to stay on this couch, right? We have several bedrooms."

"I just fell asleep here earlier while talking to Tara." She glanced around. "I guess she abandoned me."

"You doing okay?"

Her full lips stretched in a broad smile. "A lot better than I was a few days ago."

"You and me both," I said. "Just let me know if you need anything."

"I probably know where everything is on this plane better than you. Thank you, though," she said.

That she could push back a little like that made me smile. Maybe I shouldn't have been so concerned about her recovery. She did have some tactical training, after all.

"Okay. Get some sleep," I said and stood up. Shea closed her eyes again, and I left her to her dreams.

There was one more conversation I needed to have.

Walking down the corridor, I stopped at a room, rapped on the door, and waited for a response.

"Marcus?" Chloe asked.

"Yeah," I said through the door.

"I just got out of the shower."

"Okay," I said. "I just... I need a few minutes."

"For what?"

"I want to talk."

"About what?"

I rolled my eyes. "You know what."

Seconds ticked by without a response, and I leaned against the door frame as I waited impatiently.

A lock clicked, and the door opened about six inches. No face in the opening invited me in, and no one told me to go away--just an open door and an implied message.

I glanced left to right to make sure no one was in sight and then slipped inside, quietly shutting the door behind me.

I wasn't sure if I was walking into an argument, a confession, or a farewell.