Ash gave the signal and the men moved out of the vehicles and into the streets as silent as shadows that crowded them. They were halfway to their destination when they got the message from Vince who was the tech backup on this mission. "Her signal just started moving. You guys need to go back to the vehicles." Vince said into the comlinks.
They all stopped, and Ash gestured for them to fall back, but Adam motioned for him to stop.
"Vince, send me the map as to how she is moving. Also do you have the coordinates saved for where she was before she started moving?" Adam asked briskly.
"On your screen, and yes."
"Good." Adam was silent for a long moment as he studied the data, and then he again decided to do what he had always done; what had always saved his life; and what had led him to Ellis in the first place. He decided to follow his instincts.
"We are proceeding as if she is still at the coordinates where she was before the locator started moving. Chances are someone just got greedy and took the chopsticks. If that's wrong, we check this place out, and then we start following the locator again." Adam said quietly. "In case I'm wrong, keep an eye on the locator Vince."
"On it boss."
Ash nodded, and they started moving forward again. They were going to use knives instead of guns so that no alarms were raised before they reached Ellis.
Ash motioned two of them to go in from the back, and the rest to enter with him from the front. They all met in the center of the building. Half of them went up, and the other half, which included both Adam and Ash, went down into the basement, and towards the previous known location of Ellis Vorinski.
They stopped in front of the door. It was the last door in the basement, and the rest of the basement had been empty. They entered the room carefully; Ash sliced the neck of one of the men, while Adam's knife buried itself into the throat of the other.
"She's here." Ash called Adam, and then he swore.
Adam rushed forward. She was still tied to that goddamned chair, but one of her arms had been untied, and was hanging limply to the floor. It was broken in at least seven or eight places. Adam placed his hand at her throat. Ellis's breathing was shallow, but her heartbeat was steady. He let out a breath he hadn't even known he was holding.
Ash pulled out his knife and started cutting the ropes binding her. Ellis woke up just as Adam finished untying her, while Ash had already started binding her arm so that she could be moved with minimum pain and damage.
"I knew you'd come." She whispered.
"Sorry it took me so long." Adam said as he picked her up. Ellis rested her head against his shoulder, looking up at him with absolute trust. Ash took one look at them and did not even bother protesting that Adam was wounded and more strain would not do his back any good.
"They're going to steal the weapons they were supposed to trade me with Uncle for." Ellis whispered. Adam's eyes met Ash's and he nodded, and started speaking into his mike, warning Vince.
"Vince'll let your uncle know. My priority is to get you back, okay?" Adam said softly as they exited the building. His team fell into formation around him.
"Okay." Ellis whispered, but the pain and exhaustion was making it hard for her to focus on anything anymore. By the time they reached the vehicles, she had lost consciousness again.
"Good call man." Ash said clapping him on the shoulder. Then he remembered the condition of Adam's back, but Adam seemed to have shut out the pain completely.
Adam nodded, his eyes never moving from the still frame cradled in his arms.
"Look, I know how bad this looks, but it's just a broken arm, it'll heal. It could have been much worse and we both know that." Ash said softly. For the first time, since they had found Ellis, Adam looked away from her and gave the full weight of his gaze to someone. Ash almost flinched under the look of absolute rage that he saw on Adam's face. Yet when he spoke, his voice was soft, calm, and that was scarier than if he had been screaming.
All five men, including Ash, listened very carefully to what Adam had to say, and it never even occurred to any of them to not follow his orders. Not even once.
...
Petri was waiting for them when they reached the hospital, and he had the medical staff waiting too. Adam had expected that, but what he had not expected was for a doctor to be waiting for him as well.
"Your back was a mess before you ran off. If it's still a mess when my niece gets out of surgery she'll blame me." Petri said calmly, even as his eyes drank in his unconscious niece.
Adam just stared at him for a long moment and then sighed. "Sure whatever." He nodded at the doctor to lead him.
Petri turned to Ash as soon as Adam was out of earshot."That doctor will knock him out so that he gets the rest he needs. Can you protect him and Ellis both? And more importantly, can you cool his temper down when he wakes up?"
Ash looked at the man in amazement, and then chuckled. "Just place him in the same room as Ellis. All the anger will vanish. He'll never risk scaring her. I'll stay here with them. I know you have to go meet with the Department of Home Affairs. Those were some major weapons which got stolen tonight."
"Yes, though they only stole half of what they could have thanks to your warning. How did you know what was going on?" Petri asked.
"They told Ellis before they left." Ash answered.
"Pity we could not plant a locator on them or we could get the rest of the weapons back, and get them back for what they did to her." Petri said with cold fury in his eyes. He was an arms dealer, and he might be legit, but his roots were still Russian mob, and they demanded that he avenge the harm done to his family, done to the child he had raised like a daughter.
"Yeah, pity." Ash said softly, refusing to say that the chopsticks were still active and on one of the terrorists who had stolen the weapons.
"I've launched an inquiry as to how she was kidnapped in the first place. Until I know, I am leaving her protection completely to your men." Petri said softly, pushing his anger aside. It would not help with anything right now.
Ash nodded before he strode away, sending all his team to keep an eye on Ellis. He then went in search of Adam. Priorities had been set beforehand, and Ash so was not messing with them. Adam had been quite clear. Ellis was priority one. If anything happened to her, Adam would kill his team members himself.
...
Ellis woke up feeling woozy, and after a few blinks, she just knew she was in a hospital. They always had this feel to them. Then she noticed the man sleeping on the couch a few feet from her bed. His feet were propped on the table on front of him, and his head was kind of lolling on the back of the couch.
"Ash?" Ellis asked, but her voice came out hoarse.
He turned his head and she realized that he had been awake, and exercising his neck.
"Good afternoon sleeping beauty. How do you feel now?" he asked with a smile.
Ellis felt completely thrown by the about turn in his behaviour. This was Adam's cold, and somewhat distant friend right?
Ash seemed to be able to read this in her expression and he chuckled. "You get a free pass from the usual me until your boyfriend is the one entertaining you. While he is out cold, and I'm your babysitter, I'm a good guy."
"Out cold?" Ellis asked, her face draining of all color.
Ash raised both hands in surrender. "Look behind you."
Ellis turned. There was another bed in the room, and Adam was sleeping on it, on his stomach. His back was visible, and it was covered in cuts. She felt tears fill her eyes at the sight of it.
She turned back to Ash. "Is he going to be okay?" she asked.
"You just woke up after surgery, and not one word about all that plaster on your right arm, but you're weepy about his back?" he asked quietly.
"Is he going to be okay?" Ellis yelled.
Ash smiled. "Yes. He'll be fine, and so will you."
Ellis nodded, and then turned back to Adam.
"Wanna get closer?" Ash asked. He had stood up, and come to stand next to Ellis's bed.
"I can do that?" she asked in a small voice.
"One rule about rules; don't get caught and you can break all of them." He said matter-of-factly. Ellis just stared at him, and then she could not help but give a watery chuckle.
Ash grinned back and then strode to Adam's bed. He calmly unhooked the clip from his finger that was monitoring his vitals and then simply wheeled his bed closer to Ellis's.
"See, I knew one or both of you would get touchy feely on me. Had to make sure there was scope for that. Not to mention, he is going to be furious when he wakes up." Ash said as he got the bed in place. Ellis started to sit up, but he shook his head.
"Wait. I do have this planned out. Give me some credit woman, and if not, give me some time. If I allow you to make your arm worse, Adam will wipe the floor with my face." Ash said as he came around, and then carefully got her to sit up. Ellis was surprised when he was able to hold her up with just one arm while he stuck pillows behind her with the other.
"I would raise the bed up, but then it would not be lined up so well with Adam's." Ash said with a shrug.
"Thank you." Ellis said softly, reaching forward and stroking Adam's forehead.
"Why is he out cold and why will he be furious when he wakes up?" she asked without looking away from him.
Ash sighed even as he handed her a glass of water. Ellis drank the water, handed the glass back and settled her hand back in Adam's hair. Ash heaved another sigh and sat down on the edge of Ellis's bed. "While I'm at it, want me to tell you the whole story of your rescue?"
Ellis glanced up once, and then her gaze settled back on Adam. "Yes, please."
...
"When will the sedative wear off?" Ellis asked.
"Shouldn't you want it to last longer? Everyone else did, so that he would rest." The Doctor answered with raised eyebrows.
"Adam is not a child. If he wants to rest, he'll rest." Ellis replied, her tone noticeably colder.
"What she is not saying is that now that he knows she is safe, he'll rest. When will he be waking up, Doc?" Ash asked with a pacifying smile.
"It should be soon now. Probably in an hour or so. Considering what you all had told me about his temper and the fact that he left the hospital once already in such a condition I was hoping you would allow me to sedate him again." The Doctor said calmly.
"No." Ellis flatly refused.
"You would not even consider allowing him more rest?" The Doctor looked surprised and reproving.
"No more sedatives." Ash was still smiling, but it was strained now. A little more, and Ellis knew his good guy mask would completely slip, showing the real person behind it.
"Very well. It is your decision after all." The doctor nodded at them both and left the room.
Ellis opened her mouth to speak, but Ash shook his head. He padded over to the door and listened quietly for a minute before opening the door and checking the hallway. Then he came back in and nodded.
"I don't trust that Doctor." Ellis said quietly.
"Neither do I. He is probably on your Uncle's payroll." Ash said frowning. "We won't be here long anyways. Only a few days till you go home, and no one can do anything to you with all of us keeping an eye on you."
Ellis paled but she did not say anything. She had thought that Ash wouldn't notice, but he did.
"What is it?" he asked, his tone worried.
Ellis looked uncertain, and then she finally sighed. "I want to leave the hospital. I have been here for what, a day? And I was unconscious for half of that, and I already want to leave. But..."
"But you cannot go back to your own house or Adam's because they would no longer feel safe." Ash finished for her.
Ellis nodded, looking miserable.
"Sorry Ellis, nothing I can do about that. But I can listen. Tell me, what would be your perfect house?" Ash asked, settling down on a chair he had pulled close to her bed.
"You'd really listen?" Ellis asked with a tentative smile.
"Nothing better to do here." He smiled back.
In the past five hours, they had realized that they could become good friends, and that they got along well. Especially since they both cared deeply about Adam, and it bonded them together in a way that little else could have.
"All right then. I want it to have two or three storeys, and a front yard and a back yard. Okay, more than just yards, more like its own grounds, but not something ostentatious like a mansion." Ellis started.
"You just don't want it to be gaudy like your Uncle's mansion." Ash said with a smirk.
"In his defence he inherited it." Ellis retorted.
"Sure sure."
"Anyways, Then I want it to have large windows. Picture windows probably with bullet proof glass. But I don't want to live anywhere dark again. Wooden floors. A drawing room, or sitting room, for formal guests, which is somewhat apart form the rest of the house. A large living room. It has to have a fireplace."
"Why a fireplace?"
"It's one of the few memories I have of my parents, sitting on the rug in the living room with them, with a fire in front of us. So there has to be a fire place. And maybe a gaming station. So a large, nah, make that huge, TV. Adam would never stop whining if my perfect home does not have an Xbox 360 for him."
"Does he know you're planning on moving in with him?" Ash asked amused.
Ellis was silent for a moment then she shook her head. "I don't think I knew I was planning on us moving in together, but I can't really think of us living apart as right."
"Very well. Back to the house."
"Back to the house. There should be at least one office on the ground floor, hopefully two. The kitchen has to be large, and fully equipped, like the one I had. Nothing like the one Adam had. It's a pity I'm too chicken to go back to my place. I would have liked to pack and bring the stuff from my kitchen at least. God knows I'll be the one doing all the cooking. Do you have any idea how much Adam hates to cook? He'd do anything to get out of cooking. It's ridiculous."
Ash just chuckled and motioned for her to continue.
"Let's see then. Maybe a den too? I don't know. When I got my previous house, I wanted a small place where I could literally hide from the world. I don't want to do that anymore, but I don't know how to not hide either. You know what I mean?" Ellis asked empathically.
Ash nodded. "Yeah I know what you mean. Maybe stick with the minute details and the big things will work themselves out?"
"Maybe. Well then. The upper floor should have a master bedroom and a huge bathroom. Two or so guest bedrooms, and a sitting room or lounge, and maybe another office if the lower floor only had one. And why are you giving me that look?"
"What's with the huge bathroom?" Ash asked.
"Long story or short version?"
"G rated or R rated?"
"Ewwww, you really are his friend. Sheesh. No, nothing like that. I just want to have a huge bath tub, and a separate shower stall. I have always had marble bathrooms. Call me a rich spoiled brat, but I have had that, and I hate cramped and small bathrooms." Ellis finished but she was blushing slightly.
"Now I have you thinking about other possibilities, don't I?" Ash asked with an evil smile.
"Hopeless. Totally hopeless. Do all men think of one thing and one thing alone?" Ellis asked in mock annoyance.
"Depends on the woman they have in mind." Ash leered.
Ellis burst out laughing, and he grinned.
...
Adam woke up to the sound of laughter. Herlaughter. He lay there without moving, just listening to her laugh. She was holding one of his hands, and when he opened his eyes he realized that she was lying next to him, propped up on pillows.
"Adam, you're finally awake." Ash said cheerily.
Adam angled his head a bit to look at his friend. He was sitting at the end of Ellis's bed, and his face still held the remains of the laughter they had shared.
"Adam?" Ellis said softly, and he slowly turned himself to look up at her. She smiled the most dazzling smile he had ever seen her smile, before she reached down and kissed him.
Adam slowly sat up, with one hand holding Ellis's, and the other stroking her face.
"How're you feeling?" he asked with a smile.
"Good." Ellis answered.
Adam nodded. "Ash, report."
"Petri thought you needed to rest and the only way to get you to rest was to sedate you. So you've been out for nearly 18 or so hours. Ellis's had surgery and her arm will be fine. She will be discharged from the hospital in around three more days and then she will have to undergo physical therapy, but she will regain full use of the arm. Petri himself is busy with the Government as half the bio weapons got stolen. It was theft and Ellis, kidnapping, or us, will not be mentioned anywhere." Ash said briskly.
"Good." Adam answered. "Everything I asked of you, is that in place?"
"Yes." Ash replied. "Now I am going to be outside. My being good officially ends now."
"Bye Ash!" Ellis said brightly, and he could not help but give her a smile in return, before he left the room.
Adam lightly stroked her shoulder. "Does your arm hurt at all or are you doped up on painkillers?"
"It hurts a bit. I didn't want to be doped up." She answered. Adam was sitting facing her now, the sheet pooled around his waist.
"I am sorry it took me so long to get you out." Adam said quietly.
"Honestly, I am glad that you came when you did, and not earlier than that." Ellis answered.
"Why is that?"
"Because most of the terrorists were gone. I'd rather have my arm broken than have you in danger." Ellis said quietly.
"You realize that I am a mercenary. I might be the best, but there are never any guarantees."
"I know."
"You also know that I am going to go after them. No one gets away with hurting you."
"I know."
"Then I don't understand. Why is it better if I was late?" Adam asked, cupping her face in his palms.
"Because understanding it in theory is one thing and seeing you hurt is another. I don't have it in me to see you hurt again." Ellis whispered, and tears were shining in her eyes.
"I'm sorry baby. I'm so sorry." Adam said, hugging her close to him, being careful of her broken arm.
Before Adam could say anything more, there was a knock on the door, and Ash poked his head in.
"Petri is coming. Humm, he will freak when he sees you two together like this. I think I'll come inside to see his reaction." Ash grinned and calmly stepped into the room, closing the door behind him. Adam just as calmly cuddled Ellis even closer to him, which made her rub her cheek against his skin.
Ellis looked up at him with a soft smile. "I love you."