| Isabel Evans pushed the door open and walked in with Michael Guerin on her heels; she sighed. The apartment was dark and empty. "Damn it!" Michael swore and kicked the side of the couch as he walked in the piece of furniture. "Where now?" Isabel turned on a light and shook her head. "I don't know Michael. I guess we can try Liz's mom and see if she has any ideas." A tap at the door sent the bounty hunters reeling and scrambling until they saw a familiar face in the doorway. "Kyle?" Isabel sighed and placed her hand over her heart. "You scared the hell out of us!" "Uh�Sorry," Kyle Valenti sans the Tuesday Security uniform stepped into the room. "What are you doing?" Kyle looked from Isabel to Michael and then back to Isabel. "Have you seen Max?" Michael snapped approaching the man. Kyle took a step backwards. "What's going on?" He paused in-between his words. "Is everything okay?" "No, It's not okay." Michael spoke from behind clenched teeth, his aggravation teaming with each breath. "Have you seen Max?" "Earlier," Kyle smirked. "He said he had a date with�" he snapped his fingers. "That other bounty hunter. The cute blond one." "Maria," Isabel supplied. "He did. Have you seen him tonight at all?" Kyle shook his head thoughtfully. "No, just on my way over here this afternoon. I promised Tess that I'd look at her -" "Tess Harding?" Isabel interrupted. "Sorry." "Yes, Tess Harding," Kyle shook his head and blushed. "Anyway, I was on my way here from work-" "You didn't see Max here?" Michael interrupted. "Where was he?" "If you two will let me finish, I'll tell you. Across town, by the mall. He was� What'd he do? What's going on?" Kyle folded his arms over his chest. "Valenti-" Michael stepped towards him. "Michael," Isabel shot back to her partner and stood directly in front of Kyle. "Where was he and was he alone?" "No, he wasn't alone, he had a little redhead in the car with him. I assumed it was a friend because of the way he was talking about his date with� With Maria." "A redhead?" Isabel peered over her shoulder to Michael and received a nod back from him. "Did she look familiar?" "I didn't see her face, really, just her profile. She was in his car and we were outside of it. I think they might have been leaving from that apartment building over there because of the way they were headed out-" "Apartment building?" Michael came around Isabel's side and stood next to her. "Behind the mall?" "Right," Kyle nodded. "He was outside his car and I was leaving work, so I stopped to talk to him." "Did he seem strange?" Isabel probed. "No stranger than usual," Kyle shrugged. "What's going on?" "Let's go," Michael walked past them and into the hallway. He didn't wait for Isabel but felt her at his side by the time he reached the elevator bank. "I swear I'm actually going to kill him." "What is he thinking?" Isabel tapped the down button incessantly. "Seriously? God, did he get Liz an apartment? Do you know anyone who lives there?" Michael shook his head and watched the dark arrows at the top of the elevator doors. "Come on, come on!" * * * Maria closed her eyes in frustration. Max wasn't letting her out of the cuffs and Liz Parker was being a sniveling baby next to her. "I'm serious, I listened, now let me go." Maria opened her eyes and spoke directly to Max. "You're not in this too far, you'll be fine. You can go off and do your thing and never have to worry about Liz Parker again." She watched as something passed between Max and Liz. "I hadn't seen or heard from Liz in eight years until the other day," Max reached across and picked up Liz's hand in his own. "But I think I would do anything for her." Maria let out a deep breath and turned towards the crying woman next to her. "Do you see what you've done? He's throwing away everything because of you." Liz looked at her through teary eyes and nodded. "I didn't mean�" "Right," Maria snorted. "You didn't mean for any of this to happen. You just took the money and all the what did you say? Data? Data that can be used to prosecute the others but you never meant for any of it to happen. God! You are pathetic!" "Liz," Max said her name in that calm soothing voice. "It'll be okay." "Like hell it will be," Maria shot back at him. "There is nothing 'okay' going on around here at all." She shifted on the couch, the heat and roughness of the tweed couch burrowing into her legs. She jangled the cuffs behind her back. "Will you get these fruit things off of me?" "Tell her the rest," Max nodded at Liz. "Liz?" "Oh for crying out loud, there's more?" Maria sighed and slumped into the back of the couch. She didn't care anymore that the cheap tweed was searing her skin or that it was probably snagging on the red dress. "I don't have the money anymore," Liz's voice was near a whisper. "I don't care," Maria whispered back as a loose strand of hair swung down into her eyes. She tried to ineffectively blow it away, but her attempt was futile. When she saw Max's reach forward, she ducked her head back and decided to suffer with the hair in her face. She glanced towards the darkened window and wondered if she was going to be stuck with the Wonder Twins all night or if Michael Guerin� Michael? She caught herself again thinking about Michael and wanted to beat her head against something hard. She was still convinced it was his fault that she was in this mess to begin with. "She gave the money away," Max explained. "Tell her Liz, she'll understand!" Liz bowed her head and sobbed. Maria rolled her eyes. "This is getting old guys, why don't you let me go and I promise I'll give you a two minute head start." Max shook his head and sighed. "Maria." "Max." She shrugged. "She doesn't even have the money anymore." "God!" Maria raised her voice to near shouting level. "Are you two the most inept kidnappers on the face of the planet? Don't you get it? I'm not giving her up. I don't care if we have to sit here all night! I'm not leaving without Liz Parker in my custody! Okay?" "If she goes back into custody, she's dead." Max said. "I can guarantee her safety," Maria swallowed audibly. "I can get her to Montana and she'll have Marshall's watching over her around the clock. No one can get to her." She turned towards the still sobbing Liz; "You'll be safe." "I'll never be safe." Liz cried. "Okay," Maria took another deep breath and released it slowly. "What if you turn over the evidence to me? Then they won't want you, they'll want me." And you'll just go to jail for being the stupid bitch that you are. She saw the uplift of Liz's sagging face and wondered if she'd hit the nail on the head. Liz Parker was scared for her own life but apparently didn't give a damn about anyone else's. Human nature at it's worst. * * * Isabel Evans heard the words spoke by Kyle Valenti again and again. Across town. She kept her eyes squinted for most of the ride with her hands again clasping the seatbelt across her. There hadn't been much of a discussion on who was driving. Once they had reached the parking lot, Michael had taken her keys. End of discussion. The breakneck stops and whiplash starts on a normal day would have had her screaming at Michael. Tonight, they were just a part of the urgency to end this crisis as soon as possible. "I can't believe this, Iz." Michael slammed his hand against the steering wheel. "I mean, why in the hell would Max be so fucking stupid? For Liz Parker?" "Maybe she forced him," Isabel said quietly still trying to figure out if her and Max actually shared the same genes. "Maybe he didn't have a choice." Michael looked over to his partner and grimaced. "Do you honestly believe that?" Isabel shook her head and damned her brother for what felt like the hundredth time in the last hour. TBC |
| Part 25 |
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