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"Witness Protection"Written By: Snowdragonct Disclaimer: Don't own any part of Gundam Wing
or the characters, more's the pity. This is for fun...no profit involved. Rating: R Warnings: Warnings: AU , yaoi, swearing (lots),
some OOC (probably), violence, drugs, sex, a naughty Duo (i.e. he
has a potty mouth and is a bit, er, slutty)…if you are wedded
to the “pure, chaste” version of Duo, he might be a bit
dark and crude for your taste…ditto for the other characters
in here…hey, Quat’s a lawyer…how much lower could he
get? Pairings: 1X2 eventually, 3X4 also eventually, (past 2X3, 6X2) A/N: I’ll apologize in advance that Zechs is, well, deceased right from the start. I like him a lot, and there’ll be mention of him…but mostly in the form of discussing/investigating his murder. Sorry. Summary: When Zechs Merquise is found murdered,
detectives Heero Yuy and Wufei Chang are tasked with the unenviable
chore of keeping the only witness to the crime alive long enough to
testify against the leader of the Oz syndicate, Treize Khushrenada. "Witness Protection" Chapter Nineteen: The Aftermath When I got back from checking the perimeter and making sure my surveillance equipment was still in place, the house was quiet, and I was much calmer. I’d had time while going through the comforting routine to go back over what had happened. I’d lost my head, true. But after the emotional rollercoaster of discovering Maxwell gone, chasing him down in a smoky nightclub, and dragging him back to the safe house, I thought perhaps there was an explanation for my lapse. Add to the stressful night the fact that Duo got possession of my gun and more or less raped me, (okay, less, dammit, less) and I could almost forgive myself for losing it the way I did. He’d been baiting me since the moment we arrested him—making suggestive comments, leering, taunting, and teasing. Throw a gun, some testosterone, a quick blowjob, and my frustration level into the mix, and it was a recipe for disaster. Assuming you consider sex a disaster. And in this case, I did. Now I had to wonder how he’d behave from this point on. Like he’d said, he got what he wanted. But he made it clear enough that the wanting hadn’t stopped. He wanted. I lusted. Bad combination. I needed a buffer—something to take his focus off me, and my focus off him. Not that I wasn’t going to remain intent on protecting him. But I should be able to do that without the temptation of remembering the hungry mouth devouring mine, and the sinuous, muscular body, arching up to meet me… Aw, fuck. Clearly those memories wouldn’t go away. But I thought if I pushed Chang into more of the supervision, maybe it would give me room to regain my equilibrium. I had a momentary regret that we hadn’t thought to have Barton come along. He’d been the first one to talk to Maxwell after Merquise’s death—so he had some small value as a corroborating witness. And since he and Maxwell had been fuck-buddies, he’d probably have been happy to satisfy his friend’s desires. Maybe the next time I contacted headquarters, I could have the Captain track him down. Right, Yuy. How was that supposed to work? I couldn’t even reveal our location to Captain Po, let alone have her tell Barton to hop a cab up here to provide sexual release for a frustrated, restless ex-stripper. Another idea shot to Hell. Chang was sitting in the living room, watching television with the sound down so low it might as well have been off. He looked up when I walked in. “Feeling better?” I didn’t like the snide tone, but I certainly felt I deserved it. “Sober,” I replied shortly. “And I think I’ve got my temper under control again.” I’d been unfair to Wufei when he arrived home and I snapped. But part of me had been wishing he’d been home when Maxwell and I first got there. Then none of the rest would have happened. We’d have gotten verbally flayed by him—but nothing sexual would have happened. On the other hand, my mind went horribly blank when I considered the ramifications if he’d walked in while we were on the floor fucking. God! That would have been—unthinkably bad. I supposed I should just be grateful that he’d been very late returning. “I think we should minimize the amount of time either one of us is out,” I said evenly, sinking down onto a chair facing him. He nodded. “I agree. Maxwell’s clearly unstable. We can’t trust him to have his own best interests at heart. So it’s up to us to protect him from himself and his childish indulgences.” Childish indulgences? Fucking your bodyguard hardly qualified as childish—maybe self-indulgent. Once again, I thanked the Powers that Be for Chang’s ignorance of what had really gone on. Truth be told, I wasn’t sure what exactly had gone on. I mean, I knew what we did (fucked), and I knew how it felt (incredible), but I was still grappling with its significance…wondering if it was really as meaningless to Maxwell as he’d indicated…wondering how he’d use it to blackmail me. And I had no doubt he would. “Yuy?” I looked up blankly. “Hm?” “Are you all right? You just drifted off on me there.” “I just—. Look—losing Maxwell shook me up, Wufei. We—I—really screwed up. And it bothers me. It bothers me that I made so many mistakes, and it bothers me that I underestimated Maxwell’s abilities. He slipped out of here like the pro that he is—and it seems like I should have seen it coming.” My partner gave a tight smile that was really more of a grimace. “You’re right, except for the part where you’re trying to take more than your share of the blame, Yuy. As you started to say, we screwed up.” He gave a slight shrug. “Perhaps you should have handled it better—but then, you’ve never dealt with failure very gracefully.” “Thanks,” I muttered snidely. “I’m just saying, any time I’ve ever seen you fail, I’ve also seen you castigate yourself endlessly afterwards—like you’re doing now. And right now you don’t have that luxury. You need to pull yourself together and help make sure we don’t repeat our mistakes.” I nodded, relief flooding through me as I realized Chang wasn’t going to add to my burden of guilt. I could take care of that all by myself, thank you very much! “I have some thoughts on the subject,” he added, sitting straighter, and frowning in concentration. “First, I told Maxwell he’s to leave the door of whatever room he’s in open at all times.” I snorted. “I imagine that went over well.” “Actually, he had no objections. He simply informed me that it was my call, but that he sleeps in the nude, and if he kicked off the covers overnight and I got a free show, it would be my problem, not his.” An involuntary chuckle slipped past at the smart-assed remark, and at the dry way Chang delivered it. “God help us.” Yeah, I’d need all the help I could get—the last thing I needed was to see Maxwell naked again any time soon. “Furthermore, I told him the bounty on his head had been increased, and that if he had a genuine death wish, he should let us know, so we could simply collect it and save ourselves a lot of trouble.” This time I did laugh, almost wishing I’d been there for what sounded like a terribly amusing conversation. When I pulled myself together, I raised an eyebrow. “Were you serious?” “Half,” he shrugged, straight-faced. “At any rate, he took the scolding well enough. He seemed much calmer than he was earlier, and possibly even a bit—sorry?” Ah—that accounted for Wufei’s good humor. Maxwell must have turned on the charm and acted remorseful enough to appease him. So a situation that might have created even more friction in our already tense relationship, actually hadn’t. And I was glad for that. “I think maybe he realizes that what he did was colossally stupid,” I conceded, beginning to feel less like a total fuck-up. As Chang had pointed out, it was time to stop wallowing in guilt and self-doubt, and get my act together like the professional I was. “Speaking of which, we should pack the SUV just in case.” “I agree. I’ve already put in the non-perishable groceries and most of our luggage. All that remains is Maxwell’s backpack, in which he’s got the bare essentials, and the tote in our room with your change of clothes. And, of course, the laptop.” “You were busy while I was gone,” I noted, feeling like a slacker. “It kept me from throttling Maxwell,” he pointed out. “If you’d gone for groceries instead of me, I can’t say I’d have brought him back here alive. You aren’t the screw-up you’re thinking you are, Yuy.” “And you aren’t the hardass you pretend to be,” I retorted with a smirk. I stood and stretched, feeling a wave of total exhaustion. “I’ll go check the surveillance again, and maybe steal a protein bar from the supplies, if it’s okay.” “I left a couple out, figuring after the evening you had, you might need the nourishment.” I frowned, darting him a quick glance. Had Maxwell told him? “Why’s that?” I asked as casually as I could. Surely if he knew what we’d done, he’d have said a lot more than that…right? “Stress burns a lot of calories,” my partner said with a shrug. “And you had more than your share.” He shook his head. “Although, I’ll admit I wish I’d seen your face when you found him gone.” “Asshole,” I muttered, once again feeling a wave of relief as I headed for the kitchen. “After you eat, why don’t you catch a couple of hours of sleep?” suggested the “asshole” graciously. “I’m rather interested in this show, and I can certainly monitor the security system while I watch.” That was true enough. The laptop was set to put out a chiming alarm if any of the sensors were tripped when it was in monitor mode. Aside from listening for a warning, there wasn’t much to do. “Chang—you are a prince,” I said with genuine warmth, knowing he had to be at least as tired as I was. Although he’d had a full eight hours of sleep the night before, he’d been up all day, and allowed me a nap earlier. But I think he knew how deep my exhaustion ran, and that he was far from reaching his limit yet. “Wake me as soon as you start to feel tired.” I added, not wanting to take advantage of his generosity. “You have my word on it,” he said firmly. “Now go sleep, and we’ll have a fresh start in the morning.”
I woke up uneasy, casting about in the dark for a reason for my tension. “Yuy!” came a harsh, urgent whisper. I was on my feet in a flash, pulling on my boots before running to the door. “Chang? What’s up?” “Something set off one of your motion sensors.” I could see my partner’s outline against the wall in the hallway. He’d doused any lights in the house before coming after me. “Considering Maxwell’s little escapade last evening, I didn’t think I should brush it off as a cat or dog.” “Good call,” I replied. “I set the sensors at various heights. Which one was triggered?” “A-4.” “Would’ve had to be the world’s tallest cat or dog—that one’s chest-high near the wood shed.” “Fuck.” I heard the safety click off his gun. “You wake Maxwell. I’ll clear the path to the garage so we can get the hell out of here.” I was already in motion, drawing my own weapon and easing down the hall to Maxwell’s room. I was grateful for the open door, and slipped inside, padding silently over to his bed. “Maxwe—.” As I put a hand on his shoulder to shake him awake, a knife settled against my throat. His eyes blinked open a second later, and he scowled up at me. “Yuy?” he said in a voice thick with sleep. “We’ve been made,” I said tersely, using one finger to push his wrist, and thus the switchblade, away from my neck. “Get dressed.” “Fuck.” He threw off the covers, revealing himself in all his nude glory for a mere instant, before he yanked on the pants he’d tossed over a chair. He donned a shirt and boots and grabbed his backpack. “Goddamnit, goddamnit…” he muttered under his breath in a mantra. “Just like the fuckin’ penthouse.” “But we don’t have a fire escape.” I caught his arm as he headed for the door. “Behind me, Maxwell. Stay close, and be quiet. Don’t give anyone a target. And if we get separated, get to the SUV any way you can.” “Yes, mother,” he drawled snidely, sidling up behind me until I could feel his hot breath on the back of my neck. “Now isn’t the time—.” He chuckled huskily. “Not gettin’ fresh, Yuy. Honest. You said to stay close.” I was glad it was dark so he couldn’t see me blush. Even as we made our way towards the rendezvous with Wufei, I heard the sound of breaking glass, and a small canister sailed through the living room window, rolling towards the narrow hall. “Shit. Tear gas!” I grabbed Maxwell’s wrist, dragging him into a sprint down the hall. Up ahead I heard a volley of shots. A fucking volley? How many people were in on this attack? “Chang?” “Here,” came a short response, near the door from the kitchen to the garage. “Estimate two shooters out front…one out back…possibly others going for the roof or the garage.” Maxwell leaned closer to me. “Gimme a gun, Yuy. I can help.” “You aren’t supposed to,” I snapped. “Little late for that. You’ve got a spare, don’t you?” “In the goddamned car,” I growled in frustration. I could hear the hiss of spreading tear gas behind us, and knew it was just a matter of seconds before we’d be overtaken by it. “Chang! I’m sending him across.” Without asking, I shoved Maxwell ahead of me into the kitchen. To his credit, he didn’t argue or hesitate, but kept low and scurried across until he was tucked in behind Wufei. “Get to the SUV while I grab the laptop!” I told Chang, dashing for the study and yanking the hookups free of the slender computer. There was more shooting, and I could hear my partner cursing in Mandarin, and a litany of swearing from Maxwell. “Pinned down!” Chang called to me. As I came out of the study, the kitchen window burst in a shower of glass, and a dark-clad figure hurtled through it, gun aimed right at the two crouched by the door. I dove across the intervening space, holding out the laptop as a shield between Maxwell and the shooter, while simultaneously taking a snap shot that sent the gunman staggering back into the refrigerator. “Get unpinned!” I urged Chang, dashing over so that Maxwell was now sandwiched between us. “On it!” He pulled open the door, ducking back to avoid shots coming through the side window of the garage, and then throwing himself into a forward shoulder roll into the area between the car and the steps. He grabbed something from a corner, flinging it towards the window and firing at it. A ball of flame erupted from the object, and I was so startled I almost missed the “Run Yuy!” he yelled at me. Maxwell’s hand closed on my wrist and he dragged me with him down the steps and between vehicles, to the SUV, while I distractedly realized the object Chang had thrown must have been a gas or solvent can of some sort. Quick thinking! I’d have to tell him how impressed I was later. Maxwell jerked open the back door, and dove inside; then I kicked it shut, snapping off a couple of shots towards the door of the house. Several return shots ricocheted around me as I scrambled for the passenger door. Chang was already in the vehicle and gunning the engine, and as soon as I was in, he slammed it into reverse and floored it. We careened backwards, crashing through the garage door, and my partner cut the wheel, spinning a one-eighty in a cloud of dust and a shower of pebbles. Then he threw it into forward gear and spun the tires a little as we sped out of range of the hail of bullets. “Jesus fuckin’ Christ, they want you dead!” he snarled, never taking his eyes from the road ahead. Maxwell started to lean on the back of the seat, and I shoved him down. “The floor, Maxwell! Stay on the fuckin’ floor!” He obeyed me with surprising alacrity, wedging himself behind the seats, tucked down on the floor of the vehicle, and just in time. More shots rang out from the trees beside the road, tearing through the metal of the car as if it were paper. “Goddamn!” I blurted,as the window beside me shattered, showering Chang and I with glass. “Faster Wufei!” “I’m on it!” We rounded a corner and my partner cut the wheel hard, taking a side road in an attempt to evade pursuit. Headlights were closing on us already, and I flung myself over the back seat, digging into the equipment in the rear to find one of the rifles Chang and I had brought. “Gimme your hand gun,” Maxwell said, suddenly right beside me. “Stay down!” I snapped. “I can at least fire some warning shots while you load that thing!” he retorted, tugging my gun from the holster I’d tucked it in before going after the rifle. Before I could raise another objection, he was leaning over the seat beside me, taking aim and shooting out the rear window, which gave him a wide-open view of our pursuers. My hands closed on the rifle, and as I pulled it out, along with a box of rounds, Maxwell fired again, taking out one of the headlights chasing us. “Nice shot,” I murmured, hastily shoving bullets into the chamber. “I’m not without skills,” he replied cockily, firing again and shattering a windshield. By then I had the rifle ready, and took careful aim over the luggage in the rear of the SUV. I was after the driver of the car closest to us, and my snap shot must have found its mark, since the vehicle careened wildly off the road after I fired. “Not half bad yourself,” Maxwell crooned, scowling in disappointment when he tried to fire again and was out of bullets. “Shit—you’re on your own,” he muttered, diving back onto the floor as I continued to pump rounds at the vehicles still chasing us. “Going four-wheeling!” Wufei called, just before he wrestled the vehicle around a corner and onto a dirt road that led into thick forest. “Ah, shit!” I yelped as the first bump threw me almost into the ceiling. “Hold tight!” I grabbed the back of the seat, giving up shooting in favor of keeping from being flung around inside the car like a rag doll. We were steadily climbing, and our pursuers were falling behind, until at last only one seemed able to keep up. The paleness of pre-dawn enabled me to see that it was a black SUV, at least the equal of our vehicle. And had I been able to release my death grip on the seat, I’d have happily tried to cap the driver. Instead, Wufei took the initiative; when we emerged onto pavement again, he slowed down a bit, allowing the other vehicle to gain on us, as we wound our way up a treacherous, twisted mountain road. “What are you doing, Chang?” “The sign said ‘narrow road ahead,’” he called back. “I’m inviting them closer in the hopes of disabling them permanently.” I hated it when he was cryptic. “Whatever you’re going to do—do it fast!” I hollered as our pursuers started shooting again. There was a man leaning out the passenger window, leveling a sniper rifle at us, and I dared let go of the seat in order to raise my gun and snap off a shot to discourage him. “No! Let them come alongside!” Wufei ordered sharply. “You’ve got to be joking!” “I never joke!” “They’re all yours,” I told him, throwing myself over Maxwell as a shield, while the black SUV drew even with us. And then Chang jerked the wheel so sharply, I wondered if he’d been hit by a lucky shot, and I felt the crunch and grind of metal on metal. Oh. Again he swerved, slamming into the side of our pursuer, vying for position on the road. “Yes!” he cried victoriously. I sat up just in time to watch the other car careen wildly to the side, flipping and tumbling off the side of the mountain we were climbing. “Holy fucking shit,” I heard Maxwell mutter in amazement, having pushed himself up enough to watch with me. I was momentarily aware of the heat of his body in our close quarters; we were both trembling with the rush of adrenaline, panting from exertion and excitement. And I had to quell the urge to lean in and kiss his parted lips—to feel the way his heart pounded against mine again. God—not now! “Yuy—get up here and drag a map out of the glove box!” Chang urged, accelerating a bit more as the car labored on the incline. I scrambled away from Maxwell and over the front seat to take shotgun again, rummaging for a map in the compartment. “Here. Perfect. We must be—.” I looked out the window, taking a quick estimate of direction, and factoring in the mountainous road we were on. “Here!” I decided, seeing a meandering line that wound its way up a mountain. “Keep going and take the next left—in about a mile. It’ll take us far away from well-traveled roads, and head us towards our backup safe house.” “We have backups?” Maxwell’s voice came from behind me, as he pulled himself up from the floor. “Several,” I said curtly. “The closest one is a day’s drive.” “We won’t make it,” Chang predicted. “The engine’s already making strange noises. I think it got shot up pretty badly.” “Better it than us,” I sighed. My partner glanced at my lap, and I frowned in confusion. “You may have spoken too soon,” he said quietly, nodding towards my leg. I looked down, and sure enough, the thigh of my pants was soaked in blood. “Fuck.” Too exhausted to deal with it right then, I merely brushed my fingers over the wound to make sure it was a gash, and that a bullet hadn’t gone in, and then I pressed a handful of napkins from the glove box over it, putting on enough pressure to stop the bleeding. “It’ll be okay,” I told him. “Just a deep scratch, Wufei.” He nodded, and I watched the tension drain from his face. “When the vehicle’s condition forces us to stop, we can take care of you.” “Sounds lovely,” I sighed, leaning my head back against the seat and closing my eyes, letting the motion of the car lull me into a half-doze.
By dawn, we’d lost any sign of pursuit, and it was a damned good thing. The battered SUV was sputtering and chugging, the bullet-ridden engine nearing its last gasp. We were going to end up walking before the day was over. Chang pulled onto a logging road, trying to get far enough off the pavement to completely hide us and the vehicle. But before reaching solid cover, it gave up the ghost, expiring with a last pop and ping of broken parts. “Fuck!” I groaned, thinking about how hard it was going to be for the three of us to push the battered and abused vehicle out of sight. “Status?” asked Chang. I blinked wearily, looking over at him. “Functional.” “What’re you—a goddamned machine?” Maxwell growled from the back seat, pushing up off the faded upholstery. “What do you want me to say?” I snapped in response. “I’ve got a bullet graze across one thigh, I’m fuckin’ exhausted, and I have a headache that morphine wouldn’t cure?” He paused, blinking and then smiling faintly. “At least that’s honest.” We got out and started pulling our gear out of the back of the SUV. And as I wrapped a quick bandage of gauze around my injured leg, I counted us lucky. We’d lost much of the food and some of our clothing at the safe house—but the vehicle was still loaded with our camping gear, spare clothing and travel rations, and a disposable cell phone…as well as our extra weapons and ammo. We also had a power booster to help with communications, but when I retrieved my laptop from the seat where I’d tossed it, I muttered a curse. “Problem?” asked Chang. “Yeah,” I said dryly. “The laptop sacrificed itself to save Maxwell.” I held it up to show him the bullet holes that had torn the guts out of my much-used and much-needed computer. Wufei raised an eyebrow, a faint twitch of a smirk touching one side of his mouth. “Better it than you,” he said firmly—warmly. “But how will we—?” “Later,” he said curtly, suddenly all business again. “Right now let’s pack up, shove this useless piece of crap out of sight behind those trees, and get the hell out of here.” I was breaking down the equipment into three loads when I saw Maxwell standing by the car, looking oddly transfixed. Walking over to him, I followed his gaze to the line of bullet holes in the door and the matching ones along the back seat. If he’d been there instead of on the floor, we’d be calling it a closed case and going home. It was some very precise, very professional gun work. “You ready to start taking this seriously?” I asked quietly. He swallowed and nodded, looking even more subdued than he had on the way back from the club. I quelled the impulse to feel sorry for him, recalling what he’d done afterwards. Chang walked over and unceremoniously shoved a backpack into Maxwell’s arms. “Carry your own weight, Maxwell. Do as we say. And we might get you out of this alive.” He shook his head dubiously, looking at those bullet holes again. “C’mon,” I chided. “Don’t tell me it’s the first time anyone’s tried to kill you.” “No—just the closest anyone’s come.” He shouldered the pack and followed Wufei to the rest of the gear, apparently ready to behave. The three of us, with much straining, groaning, and cursing, managed to get the dead vehicle rolling across the rugged terrain, and were able to get it out of sight. We threw some loose branches over it for a bit of extra camouflage, brushed away the tracks as much as possible and then took our equipment and set out on our overland trek.
I didn’t check in with the Captain until we stopped for lunch on a scenic overlook that gave us a clear view of nearby roads, not that there were many—and hopefully decent cell reception, since it was the only communication device I had. I used the power booster with the spare battery to send the signal via satellite instead of cell tower, but I’d have to keep the call short or risk using it up. “Captain Po’s office…” “Relena…Heero. I need to talk to the Captain now.” There was a gasp on the other end of the line. “Heero! Thank God you’re alive!” Relena breathed. “It’s all over the news about Mister Winner’s hunting cabin being the scene of some big shoot-out.” “Fuck!” I hissed under my breath. “No—it’s okay. The reporters have no idea there was anyone there, or any link to this department. They’re saying it was some hunters who were on drugs or something and vandalized the place, then torched it. Are you okay?” “Yes. Get me the Captain.” “Right away.” Captain Po’s voice came on the line next. “What happened, Yuy?” There was no point in being vague or trying to use codes; we’d been compromised already, and I needed some straight answers. “I don’t know. I was hoping you could tell me. Somehow someone knew where to find us. And even though Maxwell slipped his leash for a few hours yesterday, I can’t believe he just happened across anyone with the firepower those guys at the cabin had. This wasn’t a random sighting gone bad. It looks to me like they were sent right to us, loaded for bear.” “I’ve got taps on Khushrenada’s phone. I’ll see what last night’s logs look like—who could have tipped him off.” “And can you check that web site?” “We got it shut down a couple of hours after I spoke to you. I’m sure they’ll have it back up under another heading—but even if they do, there was no contact information for Khushrenada or his people. All it did was direct people to go after Maxwell, and then put in a claim for the prize.” So no one had seen the ad, spotted Maxwell and notified Khushrenada. How then was he able to get a group of people with the numbers and skill we’d encountered to show up at the log cabin? He’d have had to know exactly where we were. “Either way, we have to go to safe house number two,” I told my boss. “But we’re on foot. The SUV got shot to Hell and we had to ditch it. It’ll probably take us two days to hike to the new place. But meanwhile, can you send a cleanup crew to retrieve what they can from the cabin, and arrange a car we can pick up after we get settled?” “You’ll find a car at the next safe house,” she replied. “Winner already saw to that. And there’s a security system in place…he said you’d know the access code.” I smiled to myself. “Yes, we worked that out in advance.” “Go there and set up housekeeping. But don’t plan for a permanent stay. The reporters were all over the so-called vandalism of Winner property—anyone with half a brain now knows he helped hide you. They’ll be looking for you anywhere he owns land.” “Yes, but the place we’re going isn’t in his name. It’s under one of his sisters’. Since there’s twenty-nine of them and half are married, that should give us a little breathing room.” “Still—eventually you’d better expect to have to move again.” “Eventually. For now, we have to concentrate on getting there. I’ll check in again tomorrow and let you know our progress.” “And I’ll keep pushing for the indictment. Once we have a trial date, we can see about bringing you boys home.” “That’d be—nice,” I said wearily, feeling the sting of the slash across my thigh. “Hope there’s a good first aid kit at the place we’re going.” “Who’s injured?” came an alarmed voice. “Just me,” I reassured her. “Your star witness is unscathed, except for suddenly having to face his mortality. I think he’s ready to settle down and behave.” “Find out if he saw anyone familiar during his little outing,” she urged. “And when we have a secure line where you aren’t on reserve power, I want to hear how that happened in the first place.” “No, you don’t,” I sighed. “But you will.” My talk with Captain Po renewed my annoyance with Maxwell, and I put away the equipment and hiked back to where he and Chang were resting. “C’mon,” I said shortly. “We’ve got to cover several more miles before dark.” I eyed Maxwell challengingly as I said that, almost hoping he’d whine or protest—anything to give me an excuse to unload on him. But he simply straightened from where he’d been leaning against a tree, wriggled his shoulders to loosen them, and hefted his backpack. Wufei and I exchanged a look; I think we were both a bit surprised by his calm acceptance and stoic tolerance of our unpleasant situation.
Mid afternoon saw Maxwell’s determination slipping, as he took a misstep on a rocky slope and nearly tumbled to the bottom. He barely caught himself on a tree branch in time to regain his footing. “Fucking, goddamned wilderness!” he blurted in frustration. He dared a glance back at me, scowling as I strode confidently down the treacherous path. “How come you never trip over all the crap that’s in the way?” “I look where I’m going,” I shrugged, continuing past him. Chang paused long enough to sneer at our witness. “He also has balance and coordination, Maxwell, which you clearly lack.” I didn’t necessarily agree with that. I’d fought with Duo—I knew how nimble he was, and how quick on his feet. In fact, I was surprised he seemed so lacking in the grace I’d noticed about his movements. “I’ve got coordination,” Maxwell shot back. “Just—I’m worn out. This isn’t the kind of exercise I’m used to.” “That’s right,” I muttered snidely. “The footing is level in a dance club, isn’t it?” He turned to retort, and made the mistake of letting go of the branch. He promptly slid the rest of the way down the slope, cursing and scrambling until he ended up in a near-heap at the bottom. I sighed, walking over to help him to his feet—but he ignored my outstretched hand and got up on his own, brushing dirt and debris from his clothes. He spared me a single glare as he was slapping dust from the seat of his pants, and I caught the faintest hint of a wince. Fuck! I’d almost forgotten about our little romp on the safe house floor. He had to be a bit sore from that, no matter how often he indulged. I hadn’t exactly been gentle, or held back. And the twinge of guilt I felt was mixed with a tingling rush of arousal at the memory. This was definitely not the time for indulging in daydreams. Maxwell was muttering imprecations under his breath as he hoisted the pack he’d dropped, and slipped it back over his shoulders. But his grumbling subsided as the ground leveled, and the path got a bit smoother and easier to follow. It also widened a bit, allowing Chang to come up alongside me. “How much further do you think we can go before dark?” I glanced up at the sunlight slanting through the tall pines, and shrugged. “If the terrain stays as is, maybe another ten miles, tops.” “Even with your injury?” I glared briefly at him. “I hadn’t been aware of slowing us down,” I said curtly. “Am I?” “No! But—.” “Then save your breath for walking, Wufei. We’ll stop when it gets too dark to go on.” Maxwell glanced back over his shoulder, a slight frown creasing his forehead. “Dark?” he asked warily. “You mean we’re going to be out here overnight? In the woods?” I nodded. “With the bears?” came a decidedly worried query. This time I darted a glare at my partner. “You just had to go and mention them, didn’t you?” “That was days ago, Yuy. Honestly, you’d think he’d have forgotten by now!” I noticed our witness looking from side to side a bit more, obviously scanning the forest around us for signs of wildlife. “Relax, Maxwell,” I chided. “If Chang and I could get you through that shooting gallery back at Winner’s place, we can sure as hell keep you from becoming bear bait. Besides, they hardly ever come near humans; they’re just as afraid of us as we are of them.” He looked rather unconvinced as he glanced back at me. “You aren’t just saying that to make me feel better?” “Maxwell, I couldn’t care less how you feel,” I said flatly. I got a hint of a smirk and raised eyebrow for my trouble, and I thought I heard him mutter “Wanna bet?” I felt an immediate rush of warmth to my groin as I recalled exactly how he felt—pressed up against me—pinned down on the floor by my body. And I had to swallow a groan, and try to will away the tantalizing memory. I heard his husky chuckle, even though he kept walking and didn’t look back again. Damn him, anyway! He was going to push this, wasn’t he? Tease and taunt, and test the waters until there was no way Chang would fail to notice. And my shrewd partner might have been naïve, but he wasn’t stupid—he’d figure it out, eventually. No matter how I controlled my reactions, sooner or later he’d put all the pieces together, and know that I was gay. And I could just imagine how he’d react to a revelation
like that.
tbc... |
