A Hero For Hire: Chapter Twenty-Six *FFY Sequel*

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Subject: A Hero For Hire: Chapter Twenty-Six *FFY Sequel*
Posted By: OKDeanna - ezOP
Posts: 294
Posted At: (8/19/03 7:34 pm)
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Chapter Twenty-Six

The gun in Roger’s hand, steady and aimed at Luis’ heart, looked even more menacing, more deadly than Sheridan would have thought. And his eyes…a cold, black pit that survived on the pain and suffering of others. It had been over a year since she last saw them and yet, she hadn’t forgotten the raw hate they held. Even anchored behind Luis’ back, protected by his arms, she could feel the shards of hate from those cold, dead eyes.

Sheridan shifted closer to Luis and placed her palms flat against his back, hoping to draw strength from usually inherent well. Tight, coiled muscles flexed beneath her fingers. Unexpected heat filled her palm, seeped under her skin, mingled into her blood. In one slow, agonizing second, she felt all the anger and fear Luis tried so hard to keep in check.

And it scared her.

Don’t panic, a voice warned. Be strong. Stay in control.

Sheridan started as Luis pressed a hand against her lower back and roughly shoved her forward, all but plastering her front to the back of his body. The sudden pressure momentarily robbed her of breath. She tried to pull back, drag in some air. But then…she felt it. Stiff and rigid against her lower abdomen.

Luis’ gun.

Luis knew the moment she felt it. Her trembling body stilled; her shaky breath smoothed. He only prayed her eyes didn't show anything. If they did, Roger and Pierre would notice. They might be nuts, but they weren't stupid. Far from it. And if they discovered the gun too soon, Hank might not be close enough. And he had no doubt his buddy was still there, listening, waiting.

And right now, Hank was their only shot at getting out of this alive. Provided he didn’t get caught and could get his hands on a gun.

"Aren't you two a little far from home?" Luis asked, hoping to distract them long enough for Sheridan to remove the gun. “And how did you manage to get into the country anyway? Your faces have been plastered on post office walls and in airport security offices for over a year now.”

Roger smiled. “You should know by now that nothing will keep me from getting what I want, Luis.” His smile widened. “And you Americans are easily bought. Even the ones that walk the straight and narrow will turn if the price is right. Especially when you find and exceed that price.” Roger laughed. “Tell me you did not think all Americans were as noble as you? That would disappoint me almost as much as the return of your memory.”

Luis kept his surprise from showing. “My memory had nothing to do with your disappointment. You underestimated me. You thought I would do your bidding without question and memory or no memory, I always question. Do you want to know where you went wrong? Where you made the first mistake?” Luis smiled, focused his attention on Roger and not on the gun Sheridan slowly eased from the waistband of his jeans. “You gave me her picture. Before you told me you wanted me to kill her. By then it was too late. She was under my skin. In my head. My memories might have been gone, but they weren’t dead; they were dormant. And knowing I’d said her name when I was brought into the hospital…well, that made me curious.”

“You know what they, Luis. Curiosity killed the cat.” Luis watched Roger lift his arm and couldn’t say he wasn’t surprised when he aimed his gun at his head instead of his heart. He prayed the move didn’t cause Sheridan to panic though. Panic was the last thing they needed right now. “But curiosity does have its advantages. Right, Ms. Crane?” A self-satisfied smile snaked its way across Roger’s face and Luis knew even before he spoke again that they’d somehow given something away. “Why don’t you toss the gun into the bushes Mademoiselle? Before someone gets hurt.”

Roger arched an eyebrow. “Surely, you did not think I would forget you had a weapon, Luis. I bought it for you, remember? When you agreed to kill Ms. Crane.”

“You may have bought my gun, but you damn sure didn’t buy me.”

“Your sense of honor is one of the things I admire about you, Luis. That and your well-honed instincts. You are a clever man…but not clever enough I am afraid.” Roger narrowed his eyes. “Now, tell Ms. Crane to toss the gun. Before I run out of patience.”

Luis said a silent curse and prayed Hank still lurked close enough to hear what was going on. “Do as he says Sheridan.” Luis turned to meet her eyes. “Toss the gun, into the bushes.” Behind us, he silently pleaded, so Hank can find it. “Do it now.”

Sheridan nodded and took a step back, her eyes never leaving his. When she started to raise the gun—toward Roger and Pierre—Luis’ heart almost stopped. He lowered his voice, prayed she got the message. “Toss the gun into the bushes, Sheridan.”

“But—“

“Do it.”

“Do not be stupid Ms. Crane.” Roger voice, calm and deadly, contradicted what nature intended to be a quiet, peaceful night. And then he heard it, a slight rustle of leaves. In the bushes behind Sheridan. Hank. He didn’t have to see him to know. His buddy was out there. Ready and willing to help.

A twig snapped as one of the men moved, causing Luis to turn his eyes back to the Frenchmen. He didn’t miss the subtle difference in distance. They were slowly closing the distance, trying to eliminate any chance of a miss. “What do you think, Pierre? Should I aim for his head? Or his heart?”

“How about a leg?” Pierre suggested. “Then he can watch us kill the woman he has tried so hard to protect.”

At Sheridan’s gasp, Luis turned again…and watched as she finally tossed the gun into the bushes. Less than two feet from where he heard the rustle of leaves. Had Sheridan heard it too? Was that why she tossed the gun so close to where Hank was? If she had, the knowledge wasn’t in her eyes.

Taking Sheridan’s hand, Luis turned back to Roger and Pierre. “Before you start shooting, I should warn you. Lighthouse Park is only a few feet away. And since I know how you hate to leave behind a witness, I should also tell you it isn’t empty.” Luis waited a beat then continued, “I heard people talking when we came up. And if we heard them… How long do you think it will be before the cops arrive? Harmony PD is known for its promptness. Less than five minutes tops.”

“In three minutes, you and Ms. Crane will be dead and Pierre and I will be gone.”

“But that still leaves the problem of another witness? A witness who knows your voice…and your name.” Luis turned to look at Pierre. “Both your names.”

Pierre glanced at Roger. “We do not want to leave another witness.” Pierre stepped forward, his eyes focused on Luis. “If this is a trick, I shall take great pleasure in torturing you before your death.”

As Pierre brushed by them and headed into the woods, Luis said a silent prayer that Hank, gun in hand, waited for him. Even though there were times when his buddy appeared to be untrustworthy or only out for himself, Luis had always known he could trust Hank with his life. It didn’t matter that Hank hadn’t always been around. That after high school his best buddy had taken off for parts unknown. If he had needed him, Hank would’ve been there. No questions asked.

Just like he would be there now.

“Why don’t you come out from behind Luis, Ms. Crane?” Roger used the gun in his hand to direct Sheridan where he wanted her. Luis reached out to keep her from moving, but found himself hesitating when Roger spoke again. “No sudden moves, Luis. I wouldn’t want to shoot you before Pierre gets back. Your death is something he has been looking forward to for a long time now. As I have the death of Ms. Crane.”

“You know what, Rog? I’ve been looking forward to meeting you again myself.” Luis stepped forward and raised a hand to stop Sheridan from following. “I don’t like being lied to and I like it even less when someone tries to use me to hurt someone else, particularly someone I love. Pierre might be looking forward to my death, but unfortunately, I have no intention of dying today. In fact, I fully intend to see you rot in hell. Or should I say jail?” Luis smiled. “Yes, I can see it now. The boys in lockup are going to love having a Frenchman in their midst, bad accent and all. They were a little disappointed when your buddy Antoine died.”

Roger nodded. “Ah yes, Antoine’s death was a disappointment to us all. Did you know he was Pierre’s half-brother? They weren’t very close, but—what is that saying? Blood is thicker than water?”

“Thanks for the family history lesson. I’ll be sure to add that to his prison biography when I fill it out.”

“You won’t be alive long enough to write a biography.” Roger chuckled. “Surely, you do not think you and Ms. Crane will survive this night? As soon as Pierre gets back, we will end this. Or maybe I’ll just—“ Roger slowly eased back on the trigger—“end this now.”

As the gunshot cut through night and birds flocked to safety, Luis saw his life flash before his eyes. But the pain he expected to explode in his chest and the darkness he knew would cover his eyes never came.

Without thinking, Luis grabbed Sheridan around the waist and dove for the trees and bushes beside them. Bullets pelted the ground around them, one even managed to graze his leg, but then…they stopped.

* * *

As the last of the gunshots sounded, Julian’s heart froze, flatlined. Sheridan. Oh God, please no. Please don’t let them be too late. Please don’t let Sheridan be—

“I’m sure Sheridan is fine.” Hal said, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Luis is with her. He wouldn’t let anything happen to her. You know that. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised to learn over half of those shots came from his gun.”

Julian nodded. Hal was right. Sheridan was fine. Just fine. Luis would protect her. He would die protecting her. But what if Luis had been shot? Killed? Then there would be no one to protect Sheridan. He and Hal weren’t close enough yet. They couldn’t…

Julian took off at a dead run. He didn’t care if he made too much noise. He didn’t care if the Frenchman heard him coming. The only thing he cared about was finding his sister…and saving her.

If that meant, risking his life then so be it. It wouldn’t be the first time…would it be his last? If it was, he didn’t care.

Despite what Sheridan and everyone else in the town of Harmony thought, he loved her and he would gladly die if it meant she would live. She was his sister. She was family and, unlike their out of control father, family was the most important thing in the world to him. It came above money, above power, above everything.

And if they both lived through this, he would tell her. He would tell her everything. Everything she longed to know…and more. So much more. He just prayed she was ready. But even if she wasn’t ready, Julian would still tell her the truth.

And whatever she decided to do with that truth would be up to her. Because in the end, Sheridan was the one that had the most to learn, the most to live with. He just hoped she could handle it.

* * *

“Don’t move. Don’t even breathe.”

At the sound of his friend’s voice, Luis raised his head and rolled onto his back. After a quick once over to make sure Sheridan hadn’t been hit, Luis got to his feet and helped Sheridan onto hers. He turned as Sheridan gasped. “Hank! You’ve been shot!”

Hank shrugged. “Don’t worry about it, Sher. Pierre’s a lousy shot; it’s just a flesh wound. No big deal.”

“Speaking of Pierre…” Luis arched an eyebrow. “Is he…?”

“Just taking a little nap. The poor man was exhausted after our tussle.” Hank shook his head, sighed. “But I suppose the introduction with the tree didn’t help matters any.” Hank winked then grew serious. “Toss that gun toward Luis, Rog. Nice and slow. It doesn’t take much to pull this trigger and while I know I wouldn’t lose any sleep over your death, Luis might. At least the cop side of him might.”

Now it was Luis’ turn to shake his head. “I might have been persuaded to let him live earlier, Hank. But right now, I can’t think of one good reason not to shoot him. Call me vengeful but I have a sudden craving to see Roger six feet under.”

“You’re the boss.” Hank pressed the barrel of the gun further into Roger’s neck—and Roger tossed his gun. It landed a foot away from Luis. “Good boy.” Hank said, smiling. “I’m glad to see you can follow orders.”

After a quick nod from Hank, Luis bent to retrieve the weapon. Just as his fingers closed over the butt of the gun, a cellphone rang and then…all hell broke loose as Roger made a grab for a distracted Hank’s gun. A struggle ensued, and Luis wasn’t at all surprised when the gun fired. No, what surprised him was the slight whisper of his name.

From behind him.

Luis turned…and barely managed to catch her as she all but fell into his arms. “Oh, God. Sheridan!”

Author of over 40 fan fiction stories, some of which include: Too Hot To Handle, Playing With Fire, Guarding Sheridan, An Affair Of The Heart, and The Thing Called Love

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