Allie's Choice

  to linger in bed like a languid cat lying in the sun, and that something was remembering what had transpired between Drew and herself the night before.  Just thinking about it brought a blush to Allie's cheeks and a tingle that started in her toes and slowly moved upward.  How on earth could a man so bad make a woman feel so good?  Allie certainly wasn't one to sleep around, and in fact, celibacy had been her middle name since her divorce from Jason last year.  But neither was she a prude-she could claim a few notches in her belt, if one wanted to be picky about it.   But never in her wildest dreams had she ever imagined that she could feel what she felt last night.  And she for sure and for certain never imagined that she'd be feeling what she felt with and for Drew Pearce.  He'd kissed her good-bye on her 17th birthday, and broken her heart in the process.  Ten years later, he knocks on her door, she opens it, and ten minutes later.....Allie blushed again as she thought of last night. from TexasWordsmith

She stretched, remembering the night of her 17th birthday party at the local Dairy Queen. Nearly everyone from her small high school's junior class attended, but she wanted them all to leave so she could spend time alone with Drew. She'd had a crush on him since the fifth grade, when his bicycle ran over the big toe of her right high-top sneaker and left a bruise that she stroked for a week while she watched it fade from black, to blue, and finally to light green. She almost wished it would never fade. The electrical surge that she had felt from that passing moment, sneaker touching tire, had jolted something awake in her ten-year-old body, daring her to imagine the moment when they would become teenagers and other body parts might meet, even if only for a farewell kiss. Now, she had him in her bed, and she could see the outline of his form under the sheet next to her. She didn't have a clue what to do next.
from texasrangersfan

 

She didn't dare move until she could figure out what to do now, and she had to think fast. Her son would be waking up soon, and she needed to get him to school. She looked at the man next to her, and all she saw was the high school boy she had loved so long ago. She lay frozen in the bed staring at his features.
He slept peacefully, thank God he didn't snore like Jason. He opened his eyes and smiled dreamily at her. His smile broadened. She could see the sleep fade from his face as his eyes focused on her and the smile left and was replaced with a face of panic. He sat up in bed covering his face with his hands. “Oh God, what have I done?”
“What have you done? It's ok Drew, I'm a big girl.”
“No! You don't understand. It wasn't supposed to be like this. I came here to make amends.”
“Amends? I'm too old for the Prom you missed. And that whole thing we had going about together forever, well forget about it, I wised up.”
“You sound like you hate me.”
“I do.”
“But, what about last night?”
Allie didn't know where the anger was coming from, but Drew was about to get hit with both barrels. “Last night? That was my revenge. Did you actually think that after ten years, one failed marriage and a child I get to raise alone, that I would still have feelings for you?”
“No, I thought you'd hate me.”
“Then why did you come here?”
“I wanted to explain.”
“How do you explain telling me we'd be together forever, then disappearing completely off the map?”
“I got in some trouble, and I had to leave.”
“And you couldn't contact me?”
“They would have found me if I had.”
“Who would have found you?”
“Tell me about your child.”
“His name is Tommy. He's named after his grandfather, and he's not yours if that's what you were worrying about.”
“Tommy is a nice name.”
“Speaking of Tommy, I have to get him to school, and you have to get out of here.”
“I wasn't expecting this. I certainly didn't come here for sex, I just thought we'd talk.”
“Well we did. Talk I mean. It was nice seeing you, have a good life.”
“Oh, I intend to have a good life. I was hoping I could call on you again?”
“What for Drew? We've relived about the only memory that was worth keeping.”
“How about coffee? Do you drink coffee?”
Allie heard the toilet flush down the hall. “You have to get out of here, NOW!”
Drew pulled on his pants and gathered up the rest of his clothes in a bundle. “Coffee?”
“Call me later.” She pushed him hastily out the front door. “I'm going to regret this!”

from Ivory

Just as the front door clicked shut Allie was tackled from behind by her nine-year-old bundle of energy, Tommy.

"Mornin' Mom!  What's for breakfast?"

Allie floated into the kitchen in a daze, feeling almost as if she'd dreamed last night.  "Well, shake yourself and get on with your real life, girl,"  Allie muttered under her breath as she went through the motions of getting breakfast on the table.

"Hey,mom," questioned Tommy, his mouth full of pancakes, "who was that guy you were pushing out the front door?"

Allie sighed and thought about banging her head on the kitchen table.  All of this, and she hadn't even managed to have a cup of coffee yet.

from TexasWordsmith

 

Allie zipped through her morning like she was in hyper drive. Not so much that she rushed through everything, but she never allowed herself to pause between steps, afraid that any lull in her activities would be opportunity to dwell on last night.
Even after dropping Tommy off at school, while driving to work, she fidgeted with everything, the mirror, the radio, the recline of her seat. But, when she arrived at work, her fears changed. She felt like every eye was on her, and worse, Tina was there. She'll never be able to fool Tina, she'll know.
She ducked to the right and took a circuitous route around the office, avoiding Tina, and quietly entered her cubicle. Her purse went in the credenza, but her cell phone went next to her computer so she could hear it if he calls – she corrected her thought, if it rang. She sat at her desk and adjusted the cell phone so it wouldn't look like she was waiting for a call. She called up the contracts she was working on yesterday, then remembered to make sure the ringer was not on silent mode, it wasn't. She finished cutting out the clauses related to the marine vehicles, then remembered to check if she had charged the battery.
This went on all day until just before quitting time.
“Ok girl,” Tina ambushed her from behind, “You've been acting weird all day, what gives?”
She turned around and tried looking innocent. “Who me? What are you talking about?” The phone rang and she jumped for it. “Will you excuse me Tina, I have to get this.”
“Allie? I just picked Tommy up from school ...”
“Oh, Jason, it's you! I was hoping you'd remember it was your turn to take him to soccer practice.”
“My God Allie! You brought a strange man home, to our home, while Tommy was staying with you?”

from Ivory

"My business is my business," retorted Allie.  "And just for your your information, he wasn't a stranger, and it isn't 'our' home anymore, it's my home, and just who gave you permission to keep tabs on what I do, anyway?"  Allie continued to sputter.
"Whoa, girl!  Slow down and let me get a word in edgewise, will ya?  Tommy just happened to mention it when I picked him up, along with the fact that you put the milk back in the pantry and the cereal box in the fridge at breakfast.  He said you were acting weird, so I called because I was worried, okay? sighed Jason.
"Uh-oops....sorry I flew off the handle," said a chagrined Allie.  "I'm just a little sensitive about boundaries right now, okay?
"Yeah, well, what else is new?  Listen, I thought Tommy and I would grab some pizza after soccer practice, so I'll have him home no later than nine o'clock, if that suits you."
" Uh, yeah, sure that's fine," Allie stammered, as she realized someone else was trying to call in.  "See ya'll then-bye now."
As Allie clicked over to the new ring, she couldn't help but cross her fingers.

from TexasWordsmith

   "Hello?"  Allie's voice was soft and tailed off without conviction.  She'd spent the entire day hoping he'd call, just like she'd spent an entire year hoping he'd return.  Now she found herself suddenly timid, afraid that her recurring dream to be reunited with the only man she ever loved might come true and turn into an ugly nightmare.  Her marriage wasn't horrible, but it lacked that spark that turns two people into a couple.  It had no life.  With Drew, there was life.  When she was seventeen, and again now.  The spark was more of a lightning bolt that struck her in the pit of her stomach and made all her senses feel alive, and that scared her.  She was a mother now.  She had responsibilities, and no right to be trying to recapture her teen years.

   "Allie?"  It was him.  "I never got a chance to explain."
   Her strength returned.  She hated excuses.  She must have made a million excuses when he left her.  Jason made excuses when he divorced her.  She simply hates excuses.  "You had plenty of chances to explain, but you chose to take advantage of me instead."
   "Take advantage of you?  As I recall, you were more than a willing participant."
   "I was in shock!  I haven't seen you in ten years and you show up without out of the blue!"
   "I'm sorry, Allie."  Allie's mind was losing it's edge.  She couldn't remember, do men never say they're sorry, or do they only say they're sorry when they want something?  "Ten years ago, I didn't want to leave you.  I argued that I was old enough to stay on my own, or you were old enough to go with us.  I wanted us to stay together, but they wouldn't listen to me.  They ..."
   "Wait a minute," Allie interrupted, "who are they?"
   "It's complicated."

   "Well, uncomplicate it.  Tell me what's going on!"
   "I can't, not on the phone."
   "Tell me now!"  She was seething.  She wanted an explanation, not more mystery.
   "Open the door, Allie."
   "I'm not doing anything until you tell me what's going on."
   "Open the door."
   She was about to repeat herself when she heard the doorbell ring.  Her heart started to pound in her chest, then in her ears.  She cursed herself for letting him get to her this way.  The distance to the front door wasn't that great, but her legs were buckling beneath her, and she began to tremble.  When she reached the door and opened it she literally fell into his arms.
   He held her gently and propped her on her feet.  When she regained her composure, he walked her to the street where a black sedan was parked, with a very seriuos looking man and woman standing guard, both scanning the street.  "Allie, this is special agent Marnie.  She's here to watch Tommy while we talk."
   Allie's legs had returned to her, but her head continued to swirl.  "Special agent?  Tommy's with his father.  What's going on Drew?"
   Special Agent Marnie immediately called someone on her cell phone and explained that the boy was with his father while the other agent seated Drew and Allie in the back of the car.
   "Witness protection is why I disappeared ten years ago.  And believe me, they aren't too happy that I have contacted you now.  You see, it all started with my Father."
   Allie listened to Drew's story, but she was so overwhelmed by the experience, she was finding it hard to focus.


from Ivory

     "You remember how my father worked at the steel mill and got promoted?" Drew began.  "Well, part of his job was working with the union bosses, and one day I..."   
"That's enough," Agent Marnie said from the front seat.  "She's not cleared to hear this."   
 "I've put her through enough, and she deserves to know.  So, anyway, I was at Dad's office..."    
"Ma'am, you're putting his life in danger just by talking to him."  
  "That was twenty years ago," Allie said.   
 "These people have a long memory.  If someone were to track him through you..."   
 "Never happen," Drew shot back.  "You guys are way too good."  He turned back to Allie.  "They've kept me alive through some pretty stupid stuff."   
 "What are you doing here if it could get you killed?"  
  "I told you, I needed to explain what happened and make amends." 
   "I got over you!  I don't want you getting killed!"  
  "Just let me finish.  I was at Dad's office..."  
  "She's not cleared to hear this," the other Special Agent said.  "Ma'am, if you're made aware of the circumstances of his protection, you could wind up in the same situation."   
 "You mean Witness Protection?"   
 "Yes, ma'am.  Is that something you're willing to risk?"    
Allie looked at Drew.  "Don't tell me any more."  
 "But you need to know.  I need to tell you."   
 "No, you don't.  You broke my heart.  I grieved.  I got over you and moved on.  Now I've got a son, and he's the most important thing in my life.  He is my life.  I can't let anything hurt him."  She drew in a deep breath.  "You need to go now."  She opened the car door and put her foot on the ground.   
 "Wait," Drew said.  "It took a lot for me to be able to come here.  Please let me tell you why."     Allie looked at him for a long moment.  Her heart told her to listen, but her head told her to run.    "I risked my life to do this," he said.  "That's how important you are to me."  
 
from nubago

   Allie ran into the house sobbing.  Tears stained her cheeks, and her breath came in uncontrollable bursts.  She couldn't do it.  She has her friends, and her job.  How could he ask her to risk losing all that?  Her mind raced through the last few years and all her friends at work.  She'd be giving up her career.  She laughed through the tears and realized she only had her friends, or maybe even only one friend.  Her mind swarmed in thought, and she found herself thinking the craziest ides.  She suddenly realized that being an only child and losing her parents while she was still in college was and advantage.  The tears dried on her cheeks as her mind rationalized all the things that made this less insane.  But it was insane.  Maybe if she were alone, things would be different, but she has Tommy, and she could no more leave him behind than she could rip him away from Jason.

   Three knocks on the door.  "Go away Drew, I can't do it."

   "Allie, it's agent Marnie.  I'm alone.  Can we talk?"

   Agent Marnie's voice was like cold slap of ice that simmered her brain back to reason.
  
   "Just a minute."  She looked into the hallway mirror and vainly tried to wipe the tears from her face.  She pinched her cheeks to try and bring some color back, but nothing worked.  She surrendered and opened the door.

   Marnie had removed the dark glasses which alone had softened her appearance and transformed her from a man-like agent to a woman who could be somebody's girlfriend.  

"Look honey," she said, "I can see how hard this is for you.  If you didn't care, it wouldn't be so painful.  I'm not going to lie to you.  If you decide to stay with Drew, you'd have to give up your job, all your friends, and your family."

"I'm not leaving my son!"

"I didn't mean him, but you'd lose contact with your parents, any siblings.  We could arrange some secure visits, but if you have a sister, you'd probably miss her wedding.  It's a lot to walk away from."

Hearing Marnie explain it made it seem even less than she thought.  "There's only me and Tommy, and his father Jason.  No family, no real friends, and I'm not worried about the job."

Marnie smiled.  "We can work with that.  It would be like a change to visitation rights."
"Jason is not going to like that." from Ivory

“We both know that it doesn’t really matter what Jason likes where Tommy is concerned.” Marnie locked eyes with Allie.

“Why would you say that?” Allie turned toward the doorway to look at Drew standing beside the car outside.

“Drew thinks he’s Tommy’s father. That’s why we’re here.Well, Drew is here because of you. But WitSec permitted the visit because we confirmed that Drew’s suspicions are correct. He is Tommy’s father.”

“But he believed me when—“

“I know. I haven’t told him. That’s your job, not mine.”

“How did you—“

“Remember that comprehensive kid ID kit that you filed last year through the scouts? You submitted it to a national kid-safe database. It contained a DNA sample. I confirmed the paternity before I approved this visit. Drew’s the father, and he wants to be with you and his son.”

“But Jason is the only father Tommy has ever known. And Jason has been a good dad. It would destroy them both.” Allie’s eyes flooded.

“Like I said, I’m not going to tell Drew. He has two more days to spend time with you before you must decide what to do. He’s a good man. It’s a shame he can’t marry the love-of-his-life and might never know his own son.” 

from boardpres

   Allie wasn't sure if Saturday was a welcome relief, or an unwanted complication.  Sleep eluded her for much of the night, and what little sleep she did manage came in short two hour periods.  Part of her wanted to linger in bed and hide under the covers, but she knew that her problems wouldn't go away.  No matter what she decided, this weekend would be the turning point in her entire life.

   She dragged herself out of bed and forced herself through her daily regimen.  Looking at herself in the mirror, she thought maybe she would be spared making such a life changing decision that could only end in tragedy for someone.  One look at the haggard face she now saw in the mirror, and Drew would run screaming back to his secret life.  She thought she was joking, but her heart felt an emptiness that she knew it would never feel for Jason.

   She ran some water and splashed the cold liquid in her face.  She wasn't being fair.  She and Jason had fallen out of love, even if they still remained friends.  She was grateful for her friendship with Jason, so many of her friends had only bitterness and hatred with their ex-spouses.  She could never hurt him, and after all, she hardly even knows Drew.  Once again, her train of thought elicited a hollow emptiness in her heart.

   She glanced at the clock.  It was half past eight.  She doesn't have to decide now, she has two days to sort things out.  Tommy was with Jason for the weekend, leaving her free to see Drew and make up her mind.  But even that seemed unfair to Jason.  Perhaps she should let him know what the situation was, and give him a chance to plead his case as much as Drew certainly would do during these two days.

   The doorbell rang and she panicked.  He can't see her like this.  She tried running a brush through her hair, but the doorbell rang again.  She ran to the front door to tell him to come back later, but when she peered through the peep hole, she was relieved to see it was a delivery man instead of Drew.

   She pulled her robe more securely around her and opened the door to accept the package.  Too late, she was struck with the possibility that maybe he wasn't a delivery man, but he handed her a bouquet of flowers and asked her to sign a receipt.  She closed and locked the door, chastising herself for not being more cautious, and realizing that if she went with Drew, she would have to learn to do things differently.  

   The flowers, a mix of red and pink roses, had a lovely fragrance that helped lift the fear from her spirit.  The note was simple.  It read, "I have something special planned for today.  I'll pick you up at noon.  Drew."   She put the flowers on a hall table and returned to the shower, relieved that she had some time to put herself together.

   The morning dragged by as she waited for noon to arrive.  The dour feeling of the early morning had left and more than once, she caught herself humming, singing, and even twirling through the living room.

   Drew was prompt.  The bell rang at noon sharp, and he escorted her out to the car where Marnie's partner waited at the open door.

   "Where's Marnie?"

   "She's watching Tommy and Jason.  Agent Barber will accompany us today."

   Allie slid into the back seat while Drew went around to the other side.  Agent Barber closed the door behind her and took his place at behind the wheel.

   "So," she asked, "Where are we going?"

   "You'll see."

   She was barely aware of her surroundings as she stared into Drew's face.  When she was with him, she had none of the doubts or confusion that had wracked her brain in the morning.  She was at home, and felt that she belonged with him.  When the car pulled off the highway, she glanced out the window and saw they were entering a small airport.
   "Drew?  Why are we at the airport?  I thought you said I had two more days to make a decision."
   "You do.  Just relax a moment."

   The car pulled past rows of parked private planes and around a row of hangers and cargo planes.  Once around the hangers, they pulled into a small lot where a ground crew was inflating a hot air balloon.

   Drew took her hands into his and said, "I hope you're not afraid of heights."

   "Not if you hold me," she replied.

   "My master plan at work."

   They left the car and were directed to the basket of the balloon.

   One of the ground crew approached them and offered his hand to shake.  "Good morning, I will be your pilot today.  Welcome to the romantic skies of Air Adventure Tours."  He helped Allie and Drew climb into the basket and continued, "We will be cruising at an altitude of 800 feet today.  The prevailing winds should take us over the Wintucket Vineyards and the Hatchisaw Orchards.  Our flight today should last about one hour."  The pilot turned to his controls, fired up the heater and they plunged up into the sky.

   Agent Barber followed the chase crew that pulled the trailer to pick them up at the end of their journey.

   Allie clung to Drew and barely peeked over the side.  There was no denying the grandeur and majesty of viewing the countryside from aloft, but it was as frightening as it was awesome.  The pilot pointed out the sites and gave them some history of the valley below, as well as hot air ballooning in general, but Allie only heard Drew's heartbeat.  She felt very comfortable in his arms.  She was right, earlier, when she thought it wasn't fair to Jason, but as the saying goes, all is fair in love and war.

   Allie was unaware of the passage of time, until she felt the balloon descending, though it hadn't felt like an hour too her.  They put down on a grassy hill in a large park.  The chase crew was already there, as was Agent Barber.  He rushed them out of the basket and into the back of the car.  They didn't even have time to thank the pilot and the crew.

   He peeled the car onto the road and said, "We can't raise Agent Marnie on the radio.  I'm taking you to the second safe house."

   The hollow feeling in Allie's heart now filled her whole chest.  She tried to cry out but there was no air in her lungs and her voice betrayed her.

   "We have agents en route to her last known location, and we have assets in the air.  Don't worry Ma'am, we'll find them."

from Ivory

The car picked up speed as Agent Barber glanced in the rear view at the two lovebirds, frowning. He’d figured this was a bad idea all along and now the kid, the dad and his fellow agent might be in trouble, or dead. Probably dead. His cell chirped. “Right. Air units close in on the tracking sig! Have the ground people locate Marnie’s vehicle, though by now they’re not in it. Make sure the locals close off any main roads out of the area. Roger that, I’m headed to SH2. Let me know!” He flipped the phone shut. Not good, he thought, glancing again into the rearview. Things just got a whole lot more complicated.
“Drew…,” Allie said, terror in her voice. Her hands trembled as she clutched his shirt.“Oh God, this is my fault. I never should’ve…,” Drew whispered, shaking his head as he turned away from Allie.“Drew, he’s…Tommy’s our…,” Her words came in choked gasps.“I know. I’ve known, Allie.”“You knew? How?” “I just did. I couldn’t come to you, though I badly wanted to. All this time being apart from you and my son….I…”“Drew! What’s going on here? Agent Marnie is with Tommy and Jason?” she screamed, shaking him, tearing his shirt, “Why? Is there a chance they’ve been taken by whoever you’re hiding from? Who are these people? Tell me!” 
“Miss, Please try to calm down!” Barber barked, “This won’t help the situation at all - if there even is a situation. Agent Marnie may just be in a dead cell zone. Let’s give it a minute.” He was lying. He knew he just needed to get them to the safe house, asap. Somehow they had tracked Drew to Allie and now they had a bargaining chip, his son.Bad idea. No - stupid idea - this whole thing, this little love meeting. These guys would use the boy to draw Drew out or maybe use the kid to make an exchange. Classic ploy. Never underestimate your enemy. Well, this time they all had. The kicker was - if this young woman knew what Drew had been up to for the last ten years she would have slammed the door in his face the minute he showed up at her doorstep, kid or no kid. He wasn’t a criminal, just the opposite in fact, but the gangsters thought for a long time he was on their team. Now they knew better and they were pissed. Really pissed. Oh yeah - and twenty million was missing along with a mainframe hard-drive from the criminal organizations’ headquarters that held enough info on it to put a few killers on death row and about a hundred people in prison for life. No one knew where the money and the hard-drive were, or so they said. Everyone suspected Drew did, but he wasn’t talking. Yet. White knuckling the wheel Barber jammed his foot on the gas pedal. He drew his weapon laying it on the seat after racking a round into the chamber and slipping off the safety with a silent , practiced motion. He knew from experience that the body count would most likely go up before the smoke cleared.Great, just great, he thought, gritting his teeth. “Stay in school, kids,” he muttered wryly.
“Allie,” Drew said, “It’s me they want.” He fixed his eyes on her. “I love you, I’ve always loved you. I‘ll get Tommy back to you, I promise.” In a sudden motion he reached around to his back waistband  and drew a large black handgun and placed it against the back of Barber’s head. “Pull over! Pull the damn car over. Now! I’m not gonna’ tell you twice!”
 “Drew! What are you doing?” Allie screamed.
“Don’t do this son. They’ll kill you the minute they see you.”
“Not till they get what they want Agent Barber. I’ll make sure they let Tommy, Jason and Agent Marnie go first. This isn’t my first rodeo and I know these scum too well.”
The agent screeched into a gas station parking lot, skidding sideways to a stop. Exhaling sharply he shook his head, keeping both hands on the wheel, visible, and tried one last time to get Drew to change his mind, knowing he probably wouldn’t. “Think it over Drew, I’m just sayin’.”
“I love you,” he whispered, touching Allie’s lips with his fingers. Shouldering open the door he rolled out and ran toward the rear of the station and disappeared.Barber hit the gas. from danielaudet

"Where are you going?  You can't just leave him there!"  Allie was on the verge of complete hysteria, but screaming at Agent Barber elicited no response.  She stretched up in the back seat so she could see his face in the rear view mirror.  "Are you listening to me?  Have you forgotten that HE is the one you are supposed to protect?"  His face was stone.  He reminded her of the magazine pictures she saw of the guards at Buckingham Palace.  She reached up into the front seat and grabbed the collar of his black suit.  "YOU CAN'T DO THIS!  HE'LL GET EVERYONE KILLED!  I'LL LOSE MY TOMMY & DREW!  AND JASON TOO!"  But it was no use.  Barber was a machine.  She let go of his coat and flung herself back into the seat and sobbed.

Barber's car radio clicked and asked, "Freebird, what's your twenty?"

Agent Barber picked up the mike and responded, "I have Goldilocks and am five minutes from the strawberry patch."

"Just Goldilocks?  Where's papa bear?"

"Papa bear is John Wayne."

"Oh Christ..." the radio cutoff before the operator could finish cursing.

Allie had heard every word and stopped crying.  She sat up in the back and asked, "What's have guy's gotten us into?"  No response from Barber.  "Damn it Barber, can't you just tell me what's going on?  Why do you talk like your spies or something?"

Barber exhaled a sigh of frustration.  "I'm truly sorry this had to happen to you.  I tried to warn Drew, but he wouldn't listen.  Right now I have to get you safe while we find your son."

"But why the spy talk?"

"Nothing sinister, we just didn't want to use any un-encoded names or locations over the air."

Barber pulled the car into the lot of an abandoned motel and pulled around the back where other agents were waiting for him.  Two agents opened the car door and hustled Allie into a motel room.

"Barber?  I don't know any of these people, who are they?"

One of them, the only other female in the group said, "We're part of his team, ma'am.  Everything's going to be fine."

"His team?  I thought he was just a lackey assigned to us as a driver."

The female agent couldn't help but smirk as she closed the door behind them.


Drew could have picked up a car at the safe house, but it was in the opposite direction from where he had to go.  He found an older car parked on the street and used his utility knife to jimmy the lock.  He pulled the ignition wires from the back of the steering column and started the car.  He spun the car around and headed back in the opposite direction towards a better part of town.

The cell phone in his pocket buzzed.  He was expecting the call.  "This is Drew."

"Damn it!  You know better than to use your name over the air."

"Can't worry about that now.  I'm kinda busy now, what do you want?  And don't bother telling me to come in."

"I can't afford to have you going off on your own!  I knew we never should have allowed this."

"Yeah?  And I knew I never should have trusted you to keep it under wraps."

"Just what do you think you're going to accomplish all alone?"

"I'm going to save my son.  I'm going to give him what he wants."

"You can't do that!  We won't take you back, you'll be a fugitive wanted by both sides of the law!  You're throwing everything away..."  Drew ended the conversation and stepped a little harder on the gas.  He had no intention of giving them his father's ledgers, but they didn't know that, and he certainly hoped they were listening.  Even mobsters had families, and Drew knew where their children went to school.  He hoped their children were as dear to them as Tommy was to Allie, and, he hoped, someday to him.

from Ivory

Drew and Barber both knew where to go. The old warehouse onthe north side of town. Drew’s father had kept his “company” secrets there foryears, in a concealed bunker. The bunker may have been secret, but the warehousewas well known among the company’s associates. It was private. Quiet. Secluded.Perfect.

Drew’s lead gave him the advantage. He didn’t trust Barber.Barber had been too interested in befriending him when he entered the program,and a man could be very patient for $20 million. Drew figured it out aboutthree years ago. Barber was an inside man for the other side, just waiting forDrew to slip up and reveal the location of the money. Drew entered thewarehouse from a window on the east side of the building. He had entered this “locked”window many times as a youth to watch his father conduct his private business.That’s how he knew what his father was up to long before the feds snatched him.

Drew approached the main space silently and saw Agent Marni,Jason, and Tommy, tied to metal chairs and gagged. Tommy was crying. 

from ruphass

     Drew stealthily leaned around a concrete column, so that his face was in Tommy's view.  As Tommy's eyes widened, Drew put his finger to his lips, indicating to Tommy that he mustn't let on that he'd seen Drew.  Drew pointed towards the small restroom located to the left of the cavernous space.
     Tommy caught on immediately. 
     "Mister, I really REALLY gotta pee," Tommy sobbed, his voice garbled due to the gag that was in place.  "I'm gonna wet my pants if you don't let me go to the john and then my mom will be really mad at me."
     "Kids," muttered the big, bald man with the gun pointed at his hostages.  "What do I care if your mommy gets pissed?"
     Tommy amped up his tears, and sobbed even louder.
     "Oh, hell,"  growled his captor,  "Shut the hell up and I'll let you go take a whiz.  But it better be fast, buster, or your friends here are in for it."
     Tommy raced to the bathroom as soon as he was freed, hobbling and holding his crotch to make it look realistic.
      While all this was happening, Drew had shimmied up to the steam pipes that ran overhead.  Just then the guy lowered his gun and began to walk towards the restroom, yelling, "You'd better shake it off and get back out here, kid, or your friends here are going to-his words stopped midsentence as the bullet Drew fired from above cracked through the man's shiny skull.
     "Stay in the bathroom, Tommy," Drew yelled, not wanting his son to see the carnage that had just occured.  He lithely dropped down from the pipes above and quickly untied Marnie and Jason.  "Stay put until I come to get you!"

from TexasWordsmith

            Holding his gun in his right hand, with the silencer pointing straight up, Drew shimmied down an isle of engine parts, with his back pressed flat against the right hand rack.  He could hear voices from offices echo down from the end of the isle.  He reached the corner and steadied his breathing, one, two, three, he sprang around the corner pointing his Beretta down the hallway.  It was empty.  He took half a step around the corner when he felt the cold steel of a muzzle pressed against the back of his head.

            He released the grip of his pistol and let it hang loosely from his trigger finger.  His captor kept the gun against Drew‘s skull while freed the gun from his hand.  “Hey boss!  You was right.  Look who I found.“  He pushed Drew guiding him to the stairs that climbed up to the offices. The sign on the frosted glass said Gemkin enterprises.  Drew pushed open the  door and saw his father‘s old boss, Anton Hawes.

            Anton was holding an animated conversation on the phone and held up a finger indicating that they would have to wait till he was done.  Drew summoned up whatever swagger he could find and entered the dusty room like he belonged there.  He grabbed one of the seats in front of the desk and made himself comfortable.

            “Dolores...Dolores...DOLORES!!!  Stop talking a second and breathe!  I‘m trying to listen to you but you ain‘t said nothing.  You just keep bawling into the phone.  Now, you know I don‘t like you calling me when I‘m working, unless it‘s an emergency...oh, it is an emergency, what happened?  Did Mrs. Castenon take your favorite parking place again?  Dolores?  Dolores?  Breathe!  Slow down and tell me what‘s got you so worked up.  There you go again, slow down...ok I heard Stephanie.  What about Stephanie, you know it‘s not my turn to pick her up from school...what?   WHAT?  What do you mean you can‘t find her?  Were you late again?  Maybe she got a ride home with a friend.  Dolores...Dolores, calm down.  Stay at the school, keep looking for her, I‘ll send someone to see if she got a ride home.  Dolores?  Dolores?  I gotta go now.  I‘m kinda busy.  I‘ll call you soon to see if she shows up.“

            Anton closed the cell phone and looked up sheepishly as he dropped it in his pocket.  “Women, sometimes they get all worked up over nothing.“  He motioned to a large silent man in the corner and said, “Palmer, go out to the house and see if Steph is there.  He then walked around the desk and sized up Drew.  “So Mr. Pearce, have you brought me what I want?“
Drew patted his pockets and shrugged his shoulders, “Oops, I forgot them.“

             “Chooch, go get the boy."

            The man who brought Drew replied, “but boss, he‘s not there, I thought maybe he was with you.“

            “Do you see him with me?  Go find him.“

            The large man exited the room, his heavy steps could be heard all the way down the stairs.

            “So, Mr. Pearce, I was hoping we could do this without getting ugly, but I guess you‘re going to make me.“

            “Anton, it would be my great pleasure to make you ugly.“

             Anton was not amused.  “We shall see how funny you will be when your friends start to die because of you."

--submitted by Ivory

from skipper

            “Are you sure you want to do thisAnton?  You‘re not having a very goodday.  Sounds to me like you lost thelittle boy, and you already misplaced your daughter.  Maybe you should just call it quits while youcan.“

             “Where are the ledgers?“

             “I don‘t know,  Anton, where is your daughter?“

             “You don‘t need to worry about mydaughter.  You just need to tell me wheremy ledgers are.“

             “I would, Anton, but I keep askingmyself, why do you still want the ledgers after 10 years?“

             “Let me worry about that.“

             “You should be worried about whereyour daughter is.“

             “My daughter is fine.“

             “Your daughter is missing.“

             “No, my wife is a ninny.“

             “No, Anton, your daughter ismissing.  Ask me, what do your daughterand my father‘s ledgers have in common?“

             “Why do you insist on upsettingme?  Do you not know how easy it would befor me to kill you?"

            “Ask me.“

            “Ask you what?“

            “You‘re not paying attention, Anton.  Ask me what your daughter and my father‘sledgers have in common?“

            “What?“

            “Ask me.“

            “What does my daughter have incommon with your father‘s ledgers?“

            “Good question, and I‘m glad youasked.  Both of them are missing, hiddenactually, and I‘m the only one who knows where they are.  You can only have one of them, but you haveto tell me why you want it.“

---submitted by Ivory

from FirstMate