As soon as he heard the knock, Terry's eyes opened and he stood up. This was not good. Nobody was supposed to know that they're here but he seriously doubted this was a coincidence. Approaching the entrance to his room, the assassin heard the loud bang of the door being kicked and the struggle that followed. He felt the sudden urge to jump forward and help, but managed to control himself, instead opening the door slowly and silently. They might have tracked her, but nobody knew he was right here. Good thing he had decided against staying in her room.

Calm. Cool. Rash actions will get you both killed. Terry managed to peek from the door and a second later the silencer was pointing in the same direction. There were two more near Brooke's room, standing guard. Big, bear-like men with a look as warm as winter in their eyes, long, almost menacingly looking dark coats despite the warm weather...only thing missing was a "KGB" sticker and a kill count badge. They weren't good news, not at all even. If he was out in the open, he wasn't really sure if he would be able to take down three of them, despite his skill. They just wouldn't die, the bastards. Several years ago he had been convinced in that as he witnessed a Russian get seven bullets in his chest and abdomen and still managing to strangle his opponent. That one had also survived his wounds, as far as Terry had heard. But he was not out in the open and those two didn't know he was even in the picture. No chance. A single, silent shot sprayed the contents of the man's head on the wall. The other reacted admirably, reaching for his gun straight away, but two shots landed in his neck, making him grab it instinctively, before falling to the ground. Yes, just like that. Silent, calculated, precise, The odds, in terms of numbers, were almost always heavily stacked against him, so he had to adapt to those conditions...or have a very short career.

The loud shot came as a sort of a shock to him though. Shit, shit, shit, that was not a part of the plan, they weren't supposed to kill her so quickly, not without trying to get the information out of her...jumping over one of the bodies, he crouched, eyes narrowed, to target the enemy. Who was, very much to his surprise, laying on the floor.

"Same team!" stated loudly, but cautiously Terry, pointing his own weapon down. He didn't want to become a victim of friendly fire and the girl seemed like she had finally snapped. No, there wasn't time for that, they had to relocate right now. Somebody other than him had tracked her somehow. And the only transmitting devices around...yes, now it made sense. Turned out, he had laid the groundwork for this sudden visit.

"The location's compromised. We have to move." he moved closer to the girl and looked at her with a hint of relief. She now seemed...fragile, almost, despite the tough look she had been putting up a few hours ago. So it turned out she was telling the truth, more or less. This girl was no terrorist, much less an international threat "You have to leave everything here, there are some trackers in your things. Sorry about that. I'd also leave the gun here if I were you, could be marked somehow too. I know, I know, you also really can't trust me, but right now I'm the only option you've got. You won't even make it out of the hotel, hurt as you are. There is a fire escape in the end of the hall, going directly near the parking entrance. My car is there." Terry offered his hand to help her up, visibly concerned, though it wasn't clear exactly what about "If you can't walk, I'll carry you on my back. I'll patch you up and buy you everything you'll need afterwards, promise, but for now let's please just get out of here?"

Brooke was shaking, tears streaming down her face when she heard Terry yell into the room. She wiped her face quickly, trying to compose herself in front of him. He said they needed to move, of course they did, that's all she ever did. "I have to leave my things..." she repeated as more of a statement than a question. Her things were all she had in this crazy chaotic lifestyle, she didn't have family, friends, a pet, just her suitcase of 'things'.

When Terry told her she needed to leave her gun behind she began to feel overwhelmed. Everything was suddenly happening so quickly, but he was right, he was her only chance. She didn't take his hand, she refused to accept that kind of help. She wanted to at least appear strong and self sufficient, even though she wasn't really.

Leaving her gun on the bed she made her way to the door that was closed again as it did on it's own. She wrapped her hand around the knob and pulled it open, her hand stinging from the few cuts that were scattered over her palm. In the hall were two more bodies of men who looked just like the Russian she had decomissioned. She took a shocked step back as she looked to Terry, had he done that? She didn't even know they were out there. But there was no time for questions, the shot from her gun had been loud and there were already people standing outside their rooms staring, gasping, pushing their children back inside their hotel rooms... And there she was, covered in blood, standing over two bodies. Just perfect. Now her face would be all over the news again and not only would the governments be after her, but the police would now see her as a danger to the people in their cities and towns too. Things were about to get much harder.

Quickly she stepped over the bodies and ran towards the fire escape, people ducking back into their hotel rooms as she passed. Brooke quickly found herself in the parking garage, her head was swimming in a way that made her already forget how she'd gotten there. Which car was Terry's? She scanned the garage wondering if it was something she could easily guess.

In the distance sirens blared. The cops were close.

"Back seat and keep your head down. Make sure you you don't get seen until I tell you it's fine." Terry opened the door of the car and sat behind the wheel, starting up the engine almost instantaneously. This was a good ride, reliable and comfortable, but mostly - it didn't draw too much attention. The man pulled a small briefcase from under his seat, opening it to reveal...something that looked like a brown package. Then there was a click and a small green light could be seen blinking on it before Terry threw it out the window and drove the car to the exit, counting in his head and looking at his watch. This one had to be played just right, otherwise cops were going to stop and check them...and then it was going to get really ugly. As he was just about to sucessfully leave through the front gate, he could see the police in front of him, he could even see their faces...but he was no longer that nervous. The cops had come a little too late. Typical.

A loud explosion made the faces ov everyone standing around the hotel to look in shock, as the parking entrance let out a cloud of smoke, dust and rubble. And now the long arm of the law was entirely concentrated on the bang, passing by Terry at high speed. There was nobody in the parking when they had left. Hopefully, nobody would get caught in the blast. The assassin made a left turn, towards the other end of the city, driving in silence for about half an hour before finally deciding they were safe for now.

"You can sit up now. Time to assess damage. How badly are you hurt?" he looked in the mirror, checking on Brooke with a still less-than-relaxed expression "Am I looking for a nurse or a surgeon? And, by the way, do you seriously not know why russian special ops would be so interested in you?" he paused for a second, speeding up a little "Well, you already said you didn't but still...nevermind, you can try answering that later. Where do you want to recover?"

Brooke hopped in the back of the gray car and layed down on the seat. She didn't mind, she wanted to rest her head anyway and try to regain her cool. She heard a faint click and then the car began to move. She wasn't sure if they were in the clear yet and then she heard a loud explosion that made her jump. Terry seemed to be a dangerous man and Brooke was glad he was on her side, for now.

Brooke had moved to lay on her back, knees bent, now bare feet in the seat, watching the clouds drift by upside down from the window when Terry said it was safe to sit. She sat up and looked down at herself to assess the cuts on her hands as she responded, "I'm fine, the cuts aren't deep enough for stitches, most of the blood," she paused for a moment, "isn't mine." She looked out the window again. She hadn't killed many people who'd come after her, but like this time they had all been in self defense. It still gave her nightmares and she still hated doing it. Her arms were bruised, her back ached and her lip was swollen, but it would be fine too, given time, and maybe a little ice.

All she wanted to do was get these bloody clothes off. "I don't care where I go, but I need a shower," she said briefly, still shaken up. She leaned her head back on the seat and stared up at the roof of the car. She still wasn't sure she should trust Terry, but for now, she was the only one with the information on the location of the flash drive, so she knew he wouldn't try anything crazy. It was barely after two now and they would still need to wait a day to be able to get the flash drive. Brooke sighed, at least that would be one more day she was, almost, sure she'd live.

"Alright. Excuse me for a second." the assassin dialed a number on his phone, still driving ahead. He knew a few places they could go to, but first he had to make sure he would have...options to maneuver, options only money could buy "Hailey, hi. Listen, I've got to empty up all accounts under US jurisdiction. And transfer them to...divide them between the dutch and swiss one."

"The ones under an alternate ID? Who did you piss off, Wolf?"

"Can't tell you anything specific right now. Just do it. You'll also be getting a file transfer from me some time tomorrow. From this point on, though, double check every call I make to you. I could be tapped at some point."

"Right, right, then I don't want to know shit for now." Hailey's curiosity had suddenly disappeared "I'll make the calls for you. You should have your transfers by the end of today."

Terry hanged up while he was pulling over and turned around to face Brooke. They had a little time now. Until she was stopped or until they figured he was assisting instead of hunting her. Whichever came first. Americans, Russians...it was the Cold War all over again! Though by now the assassin was really wondering if those two nations were the only ones involved. The gold mine he had found apparently was also filled with poisonous gas.

"See the building there?" he pointed to a five-story building with gray walls, the walls of which were heavily tagged with graffiti. They were now in one of the least presentable parts in Las Vegas, away from the Strip "When you go in, you'll see a bald guy, around 40 years of age. Ignore the shotgun, just tell him "Terry said to wait for him at the safehouse.". There's a hatch leading underground. There you can take a shower and maybe get some sleep, the apartment's...it's as safe as it gets. Comfortable too. Tell me your measures and what you want to buy. I'll have to go for a change of a car, as well as some shopping. Just wait for me, you'll be safe there for the time being."

The assassin turned his head forward again, smiling a little. Oh, she was going to like the room. It was basically a bunker, but a lot more spacious and better furnished. Terry and his colleagues often needed a place to lay low for a day or two. Safehouses like this one were a result of investments - everyone that had its location and could use it had contributed for its construction. Terry knew there was at least one in each major city in the US and Europe, but this particular one here was better than most hotel rooms around. A damn oasis, they could crash there for a little while and be safe until they figured out their next move.

"Also, don't worry about the way you look. Jerry is used to such guests." Terry put on his sunglasses. The light was irritating him, he hadn't slept much in the last two days and couldn't wait until he could go to the safehouse himself and just relax a little...

Brooke tried not to listen to Terry's phone call, but it was hard not to overhear with them both in the car. She wondered what he meant by emptying up his accounts. Was he transfering large amounts of money? She looked around as they pulled to a stop in front of a tall building. This did not look like a friendly neighborhood. But she'd had to make do with worse.

She listened carefully to Terry's instructions, slowly growing more nervous. A man with a shotgun? For a moment, she almost panicked. What if he was sending her into a place where they would drug her with some sort of truth serum, get the location of the drive and kill her? No Brooke, you're being irrational, Terry is your only hope. Put on your big girl pants and get out of the car... The pep talk wasn't working.

When Terry asked about clothing she looked down at herself. Oh yeah, she was wearing the only things she owned now, and they were covered in blood and ripped. She sighed. Brooke was a small girl, not without curves in all the right places, but still petite. "I wear smalls in most everything. Pants size twos. I guess, it doesn't really matter what you bring." She thought for a moment. Would she still need disguises? Terry would know best, and she was sure he had it under control.

She opened the door and paused. Brooke wasn't sure how to feel about Terry yet. He was helping her, but only for now. Her safety and comfort wasn't guarenteed with him past figuring out what was on the flash drive, but it still felt nice having someone looking after her and not being so, alone. "Thanks Terry," she mumbled before hopping out of the car and closing the door behind her to stand and look up at the building.

Taking a deep breath she hoped for the best and moved to push the door open stepping inside a dimly lit and smoke filled room. To her left was a large tv, a group of guys sitting in front of a football game, drinking and carrying on like it was the end of the world. In another area was a round table, another group of guys and what looked like a gamble. A large amount of money was stacked in the center of the table, each player holding a hand of cards. Cigars and beer bottles accessorized the scruffy looking group as they paused to see the newcomer. Brooke suddenly felt self conscious standing there in her daisy dukes, covered in blood.

Ahead of her was Jerry, tall, bald, five o'clock shadow and possibly two hundred pounds. He leaned through a cutout in the wall between the small area where the poker game was happening, and what she assumed to be a kitchen. He picked up the shotgun off of the ledge as she approached. His face was expressionless. She kept her distance from him but moved close enough that she wouldn't have to speak too loudly. She swallowed deeply before managing to speak, "Terry said to wait for him at the safehouse," just as she were instructed. Jerry raised an eyebrow and looked her up and down. Without a word he made his way around the wall and motioned for her to follow.

They made their way down a small and short dark hall. Stopping at a door Jerry opened it and stepped inside, turning to wait for Brooke, shotgun still in hand. Brooke stood firmly in the hall, no way, no how was she going into that room. This had 'trap' written all over it. Jerry raised another eyebrow at her as he kicked a rug back revealing the hatch, which he promptly knelt down to open. Oh. Jerry sure was a mysterious man of few words.

Brooke made her way down the hatch as Jerry closed it tightly behind her. She assumed he was probably kicking the rug back into place. Descending the ladder, her feet finding the floor, she turned around suprised. The place was large, and shockingly nice... Her eyes swept the apartment. It definately looked more like a bachelor pad than anything. Clean leather couches, a flat screen tv mounted to the wall, track lighting through the ceiling... an air hockey table, really? And was that a persian rug? Against the back wall was a mini bar, behind it a rock wall lined with colorful bottles of liquor, and glasses. Brooke shook her head in amazement, she didn't even want to know what the other rooms held.

Wondering how much time she had before Terry came back, Brooke set off to find the bathroom. Passing by a large fishtank full of exotic fish she began to think she was probably dreaming. There was no way her life just went from complete chaos, to this paradise. Snap out of it, she thought, you're not in the clear yet, Terry isn't even really on your side. And this isn't your permanent home. Brooke frowned at herself. She would give her left leg for this to be her home.

~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~

Safe house my ass, Brooke thought as she searched through the closet of the large bedroom. There was only one type of clothing even stocked in this place, and it was for men. It's a freaking bachelor pad. She flipped quickly through the clothes. Generic white and black t-shirts and button ups hung in the closet behind a few pairs of jeans. She sighed as she pulled a white long sleeved button up from it's hanger. Not wanting to be here in her towel when Terry returned, she was beginning to think the shirt wouldn't be much better. What was she supposed to do about underwear? Brookes eyebrow twitched slightly. The shirt was huge on her but least it was long enough and held itself up.

Picking up her dirty clothes from the bathroom floor she made her way out of the bedroom, wet blonde hair hanging over her shoulders and around her face. Locating the metal garbage pail, she stepped on the lever and dropped the clothes into the trash. Blood was nearly impossible to get out, and they weren't expensive clothes anyway.

Brooke looked around the large apartment wondering what to do next. She couldn't leave, even if she wanted to, not dressed like this. She made her way to the large couch flopping down onto the cusions with a sigh. She sank into it. For a leather couch, it sure was soft and comfrotable. She flicked on the tv and began flipping through channels. It wasn't too late in the day but she hadn't gotten much sleep. Plus, the days events had proven draining.

Landing on the cartoon channel, she saw a silly gray cat chasing a little brown mouse around the corner of a house. The brown mouse ran into a dog den that had a large bulldog sleeping inside, quickly pulling back his nose to open his large jaws, the gray cat running inside. Brooke giggled. That was silly. She was never allowed to watch cartoons growing up, maybe that's why she'd spent so much time on her computer. None of this would be happening if she'd just watched cartoons she decided.

She was thinking about how she'd certainly let her children watch cartoons if they wanted too, when her eyes closed and she drifted asleep. Her wet hair was messed about the back of the couch, shirt lazily buttoned but pulled down to cover what was necessary, cartoons still on, remote in hand, and feet kicked up onto the coffee table. She certainly looked like she owned the place.

Did the girl just thank him? Terry blinked a couple of times and turned towards her, but she had already left the car. Well that was ironic. Her thanking him was incredibly far from his initial plan, after all, but now...the man started up the engine again and began driving and not after long he was near the edge of the city. He was a little surprised of her cooperation now, but the girl was apparently quick enough in the head to know that right now she really had no place to fall back to. Much of that had been Terry's fault, at least the part with her having to leave her belongings behind. If he had known how things would turn out...but it was pointless to think what he would or would not do. The conditions were such, his actions had to take them into account.

Two hours later, his new ride was taking him to the next place in his mental "shopping list". He had chosen another vehicle this time, going for performance instead of a low profile. He knew it was just a matter of time before somebody figured out his role in this. The car stopped in front of a small ranch not far away from the edge of the city. If he wanted to keep himself and Brooke alive, he'd most likely need more than a handgun and some sedative. The ranch consisted of two buildings, side to side - a three-story house and a spacious barn. A barn with no real purpose, it seems, since next to no plants were capable of growing here and there were no animals in sight.

"Relax, boys, it's just me." Terrysaid as he was exiting the vehicle, hands in the air. Nobody else could be seen in front of him, but he knew he was being watched. The door of the house opened and from it appeared a large, bald, black man with a wide smile on his face. Mauro, an ex-raider and mercenary from Chad, now retired...from raiding, that was. He was still the person to go if you needed...well, just about anything illegal. Some things even governments had trouble getting their hands on, too. He was dressed pretty much as a construction worker, minus the helmet and was an intimidating sight, being a little over than 6'5''. Terry had often wondered where the guy got his high-tech goods and equipment, but knew better than to ask. In this business, if you wanted to be in good relations with somebody, you had to keep your nose out of his or her business.

"Wolf, man, good to see ya!" Terry smiled and shook the extended hand, as the man pulled him towards the barn door "How you doin'? I heard ya back in town, son, but you don't visit, and I thinking you forget all about me..."

"Work, Mauro, you know how it is." the assassin followed, paying no attention to the mistakes and weird way of talking of his host. The way he saw it, if he tried speaking the African's language, he'd e failing way more miserably "Which is the main reason why I'm here."

"Say no more, say no more, I have everything." the black man grinned, as he was closing the barn door behind them "You a busy boy, I know. What you need?"

"Better get something to write on, my friend. It's not just this one thing. I need long range, medium range, automatic, explosives, hacking and subterfuge tools as well."

"This strange, normally you not buy all at once." Mauro stated, but had already gotten a small notebook from his pocket. Terry's eyes were getting used to the darkness within the "barn" and could now see metallic glints here and there "But is OK, I got what you want. I got everything, you know this."

"Let's start off then, huh? Sorry if I seem in a hurry, it's just that...I've got someone waiting." Terry cleared his throat. Time to stock up "First, an M4A1, all attachments included, plus a full set of grenades to it, an M110 SASS..."

Another hour had passed until Terry was satisfied. He had money, a lot of it too, he just didn't like spending it on things he knew he'd probably have to dispose of soon after. And yet, those expenses were always present and never small. Otherwise he'd be able to retire an year or even two ago. Good thing Hailey had already managed to transfer most of his funds and they were free of danger. For this stunt he was pulling, he was going to need top-notch equipment.

"Everythin' inside. Good car, but now is very heavy. Watch out on turns."

"I will, don't worry." Terry closed the trunk and looked warily at Mauro "I'm not really adept at cyber warfare, you know. is this hacking kit of yours really that good?"

"The best, son, the best. I not good at computers too, but good at getting things. Good, useful things, you know? My boys say it great!" Mauro grinned widely and leaned forward. Even so, he was still a little taller than Terry "Besides, you good customer. Spend a lot. Anyone asks, I always say I not heard of you. For good business. If you die, you not buy. I really want you stay alive, you know, I always give you the best!"

"Thanks, Mauro. I'll catch you later." the men shook hands, then Terry got into the Jaguar and drove off.

He still had things to do, though those weren't something he was used to. He bought gifts for women every now and then, but those were...well, gifts. Right now he was looking for typical women's clothes, nothing too flashy...and he was lost. As he walked by the shops in the mall he decided to go into, he realised he hardly knew anything about women's fashion. What was he going to get to replace hers? In the end, Terry just gave up. He had spent a lot of money already, he might as well do the girl a favour. Brand clothes then.

It was almost sunset when he pulled over a few blocks from the hotel. He was tired and the ridiculous part was that it wasn't the shopping for weapons that had exhausted him. He had gone through several shops, buying a few things from each. The clothes there were expensive and he had no real idea what he wanted to get...it had been a while since the last time he felt so helpless. On top of that, the last salesgirl had obviously taken a liking to him - either that or his willingness to use his credit card - and had given him a lot of options, proposing to try out each of them. He had given up for a second time today and just bought whatever didn't seem openly weird. As a result, he now had several shirts with various imprints, three hats, a few tank tops, jeans, shorts, even a mini-skirt and a black dress that looked like was meant for dinners at the White House. Terry sighed and walked to the entrance of the safehouse, bags in one hand and a large metal suitcase in the other. He wasn't even sure why he had went through the trouble of getting so much stuff. Ah, it was done already. At least maybe he'd have the opportunity to see Brooke in a good mood. There hadn't been such a case yet...understandable, really.

Terry nodded to the bald "guardian" as he stepped in and followed him, without saying a word, towards the secret entrance. Jerry rarely said anything, but kept everything and everyone in check...as long as he got paid. And he did. Terry walked quietly towards the couch, smiling lightly. If he looked at it from this perspective, a cute girl waiting for him in his underground hideout was exactly a thing he had dreamed of as he was little. Despite the seriousness of the situation, this fact alone made it a lot more pleasant.

"Did you have a good rest finally, precious?" he asked softly, with a mischievous smile. He was standing behind th couch, leaning above Brooke's head. With any luck, he hadn't woken her up still, but he didn't really know whether or not she slept lightly "Got some presents for you. Check the bags, maybe get changed, tell me what you think afterwards. I'm gonna get a shower meanwhile. You're going to love what I'm going to show you after I'm done." Terry winked and stepped back, disappearing into the bathroom and leaving the girl alone in the room again...

The sound of the hatch door to the safe house closing caused brook to wake, barely opening her eyes for a moment before letting them close again. She felt Terry's presence over her but couldn't bring herself to stand up. Her body was sore, and her nap had only stiffened her muscles even more.

He was speaking but she wasn't hearing him. He placed some bags on the couch and made his way towards the bedroom where she heard the door close. Brooke stretched and yawned, finally opening her eyes. It felt good to stretch. She sent a sideways glance to the bags on the couch. Were those for her? She leaned towards them hooking her index finger onto the edge of a bag, pulling it towards her to peek inside. There was women's clothing inside!

Brooke stood quickly and began pulling the clothes out of the bags. They were designer clothes, shorts, jeans, shirts, a beautiful dress... Brooke held it up to herself smiling. It had been years since she'd had clothes like these. There was no way Terry picked these out. She mentally thanked the sales women as she dug for underwear. She giggled a little when she found some. Terry had probably been so embarassed to purchase these.

Pulling on a pair of comfortable jean shorts and a tight fitting t-shirt she smiled again, they fit perfectly. Brooke hoped she wouldn't ruin these too, but didn't see any need to get fancy since they would probably be here until Monday when the post office opened. She wondered if the post office had been a good place to hide the drive. She'd rented a safety deposit box under a fake name and paid for it with cash, assuming the only way anyone would know where it was, was if they had followed her. And she was almost sure no one had known she was in Vegas but Terry, who was busy at her hotel.

Her blonde hair was almost dry, waves light and fluffy resting on her back. Her bare feet padded to the bedroom door where she knocked lightly. She was feeling in an extra good mood after her nap and new clothes and wanted to sincerely thank Terry for everything, except the trying to kill her initially part. She hoped that things would work out and that the information would prove useful to Terry and that he would find it in his heart to help her clear her name from this misunderstanding. She held hope and was optimistic about the situation.

There was no answer and Brooke thought she heard a faint sound of the shower running. She turned her back to the door and made her way to the kitchen. It was also huge, with a large stainless steel refrigerator and matching stainless steel appliances that looked expensive. The counters and island were marble topped, and the cabinets a smooth wood with stainless steel handles.

Opening the refrigerator to find it fully stocked, Brooke pulled out a bunch of ingredients. It had been a long time since she'd cooked, but she was good at it. And what better way to say thanks and make a man happy than a home cooked meal. She could still see the television from the large cutout in the kitchen wall above the sink and was giggling again. Now about a tiny man with a red beard and a cowboy hat, who was chasing a rabbit around calling him a varmint.

Locating an apron and the necessary cookware, Brooke set to work on her own version of shrimp scampi, with fresh asparagus, garlic bread and salad, the wonderful aroma filling the apartment as she cooked.

Putting on some jeans and a black tank top, Terry walked out of the bathroom, sniffing around. Something smelled incredibly tempting, as he had eaten next to nothing in the last 24 hours. Finally...it was nice at least some of the things he had done were apparently appreciated.

"I've starved to death and went to heaven! You have no idea how long it's been since..." he suddenly paused when he saw her. Well now, that was impressive. So far he hadn't been able to see her in a calm setting, where he could be relaxed and...appreciate what he saw "Wow. You look good. And I swear that's not just an attempt to defend my choice in clothes." lightly smiling, Terry leaned on the kitchen counter and tilted his head "Plus, that apron? And the food...I've gotta hand it to you, when you're not too busy with your career of a wanted fugitive, you sure know how to make a man happy."

Well, that much was true. Apart from the occasional breakfast, he could hardly remember a time when somebody took the time to cook for him without getting paid for it. He had to be careful around her still, he knew. After all, he hadn't decided what he'd do after he found out the topic of the data. He had to keep his distance, but...if his contractor found out he was helping Brooke, the contract was going to be terminated. And Terry doubted they wouldn't find out eventually, which meant that killing her was no longer necessary. Wasn't it okay then to loosen up a little? He rarely had company that was aware of his 'trade', not to mention a pleasant one. He kind of enjoyed it.

"But if you cooked dinner as thanks for some clothes, I am damn curious how will you show your grattitude in a bit." he nodded, grinning, to the metal case he had left near the door "There are some gadgets there for you. See, it occured to me, our best bet is to use any advantage we have and strike at our enemies' weak points, right?" he hadn't even noticed he had started putting them together in the same team without a hint of hestitation in his voice "And I'm thinking 'Hey, Jane's stolen these ridiculously secret files from the government somehow, she must crazy good at hacking and stuff like that. So I got you the equipment you'll need if you want to pursue your 'hobby'. Check them out if you'd like. Two laptops, a signal scrambler, wide arrange of professional software..." Terry's stomach grumbled loudly and he suddenly turned his look towards the food "On an unrelated topic, is dinner going to be ready soon?"

Opening the oven, Brooke removed the garlic bread sticks, inhaling with a smile at the wonderful smell. It had been such a long time since she had been able to cook a meal like this and she was thoroughly enjoying it, and proud of it too. She arranged them in a small bowl and turned the burners off. Almost done.

When Terry entered the room a wave of his manly body soap swept over her and she smiled as she turned to face him. Well, he certainly looked less intimidating with a shower and no weapons pointed at her head, but not by much. She blushed at his compliments and quickly turned back to the scampi. "I've really just missed cooking is all. But I couldn't think of any other way to thank you, for not killing me and all." She was thankful he hadn't decided to kill her, but her thoughts were never far from the fact that he still could.

Brooke stopped everything she was doing, the spoon falling from her hand into the asparagus as she turned to face Terry again. Was he joking? Had he really gotten her hacking equipment too? Brooke was beginning to feel more excited by the moment. It took a lot to keep from hopping over the counter and busting open the case to play with the goodies inside. Instead she tried to compose herself, "I didn't steal those files. Not on purpous anyway." But she couldn't help but feel like Terry was on to something. If she could hack back into the government's databases, she might be able to erase her own files, or at least change them enough to throw them off. She was smiling at the thought of the hacking equipment, but why was Terry being so nice to her? There was still a chance he was going to kill her right?

She couldn't help but smile at Terry's enthusiasm for dinner. "Yes," she said giggling, "I just have to set the table." Brooke had the shrimp scampi in a large bowl now as she carried it and the bread to the table, returning for the bowl of salad and asparagus. "I can't believe how nice this place is Terry. This isn't like any safe house I've ever heard of... Admit it, this is your bachelor pad. You lure women here, 'Oh you're in grave danger, come to my safe house...'," she said in a deeper mocking voice, "and bam, next thing you know, you're in bed together. I'm on to you," she said jokingly.

The table was set now as Brooke found two wine glasses and poured them appropriately. She wasn't much of a drinker in her current state, being that she needed to be coherent if something went down, but nothing else would make this dinner better, than a glass of Sauvignon Blanc, a wonderful tasting white wine, perfect for any seafood dish. Her thoughts drifted to the hacking equipment again. Brooke never really wanted to get into the hacking business, it just sort of happened, thanks to the terrorist leader who she'd fallen for. Her first love, of course. She shook her head to herself. The irony of the situation was that hacking might be her only way out of this mess. Sighing slightly she sat at the table, setting the bottle of wine in the center as she motioned for Terry to join her.

"Are you now?" Terry smirked as he sat down and grabbed his glass "You know, it's funny, you sound really knowledgeable and sure about what a bachelor pad looks like...I'm not sure if I'm not going to be the one that gets taken advantage of." he paused, raising his glass slightly, his eyes now fixed on Brooke's "Even though I couldn't bring myself to say I wouldn't enjoy that, for all you know I may be overly shy and sensitive. Don't jump to conclusions."

The man winked slightly and took a sip of the wine, still smiling. Delightful. He loved the time he spent in the safehouses, since for him they were the calmest and safest places in the world. Such was the case now too, albeit for different reasons. He had company, true, but surprisingly enough she wasn't getting on his nerves. Enough so that he was feeling comfortable enough to flirt, apparently, though he had done it almost without thinking. This was okay, wasn't it? After all, if he wasn't going to assassinate her...why not try and hit it off with her. She was, after all, beautiful enough to grab his attention and intelligent enough to keep it. And what could go wrong? Terry didn't get attached easily - at all, actually - so complications for him weren't going to be an issue...the man realised he had been staring at her for the last several seconds and shook his head, as if to clear his thoughts. no, he had to not get ahead of himself and rush things. All in due time...and business before pleasure. Terry took his first bite of the food, chewed several times...and his eyes suddenly widened with excitement.

"Oh. Oh, this is...delicious!" he was digging in, managing to speak only once every few seconds when he didn't have his mouth full "If all your cyber crime skills don't pay off, you can always be my chef. I'm not even kidding here." having gone on without eating for almost two days, Terry really looked like he was reaching a state of total happiness. Shortest way to a man's heart indeed "This is one of those rare occasions I'm actually glad I let my mark go, that's how good it is! Jane, darling, knock yourself out to the briefcase, the bead, couch, TV, me, or whatever you fancy, short of going out for now. I think you damn well deserved it."

Brooke laughed at Terry's comment about her knowing so well what a bachelor pad looked like. The laughed picked up at his comment about being shy and sensitive. True, she had seen a bachelor pad a time or two, but MTV's Cribs, hardly counted much towards Terry's assumtion of her experience. She picked up her wine glass and took a sip, still smiling as she noticed he was staring at her. "I didn't mean to laugh at you, you just don't seem like the, shy and sensitive type. No offense," she said, not realizing that her laughter had not been the reason for his stare.

They both began to eat, and Brooke smiled at the compliments, "Thank you," she said happily, blushing slightly. "I used to cook with my mother all the time, until I met, well, certain people. I've never cooked for someone else like this before though." He was still going on about it which caused her to laugh again. His personal chef, puh-lease, she had way too much skill for playing servant to some egotistical male, who just so happened to be some of the best company she'd had in years, and was, despite his line of work, incredibly attractive. Most of the people who she'd come head to head with over the years were more or less your average Joe kind of guys, or just plain creepy.

They were nearly through eating, Brooke was on her third glass of wine, what? She hardly ever got to drink while she was on the run, she had be sober to think clearly, but down here, she didn't need to do any such thing. She was rolling Terry's words around in her head, "...the bed, the tv, me..." and now she was the one staring, at Terry's handsome features and masculine build. She blinked and gave herself a mental head slap. Cut it out Brooke, this man is dangerous and he could still kill you. But that was what made it so exciting.

She needed to remove herself from the situation, now. Standing, she excused herself and made her way to the briefcase, picking it up and placing it carefully on the coffee table in front of the couch as she sat down. She popped the latches and the top lifted open, Brookes eyes widening. She had died, she was sure, and gone to hacker heaven. Where on earth had Terry aquired equipment like this? Come to think of it, where on earth did Terry aquire any of the skills and things he had? Pulling the equipment from the case to analyze the parts she raised her voice to Terry in the other room, "So Terry, how did you get into this line of work anyway?" She needed to do or say something to keep herself from jumping up and down and screaming like a child at Christmas, or jumping Terry, either one would be a fail on her part.

As Brooke went towards the couch, Terry quietly began gathering up the dishes and putting them in the dishwasher. He felt really silly every time he did that, even more so now, with company present. Doing chores just didn't match the assassin's image and one of the minor reasons Terry enjoyed what he did was the fact he rarely had to worry about those. However, he intended to leave the safehouse in mint condition. The girl may have joked about it being a glorified bachelor pad, but he knew for a fact that a man had gotten shot over not replenishing the toilet paper reserve. Not everyone in this line of work were as mentally stable as Terry.

"Uhh, what?" he asked somewhat absentmindedly just as he turned on the machine, after which he nodded in approval and walked over to where Brooke was sitting "Do you really want to know? I might have to kill you afterwards...oh, wait, we've been through this conversation already, haven't we?"

Terry leaned forward, practically right over Brooke, with his hands resting on the couch's back, seemingly looking at the screens in front of him. In truth, he was kind of looking for an excuse to both see her reaction and stick around her for a longer time. A far better alternative than the TV or even the books that could be found in this place, that was for sure. In the last few hours, he had finally started seeing something more than a breathing key for a safe box when he looked at her, and yet he felt there was more to discover. He was...interested, this much was true.

"Well, I suppose telling you the short version won't hurt. I used to be a commando. An army man, best of the best, enough to be selected for the most special training there was at the time. I was supposed to be a cooler version of James Bond, you know. Minus the accent." Terry signed dramatically, rolling his eyes before looking down towards Brooke again "Alas, it wasn't meant to be. Most of my...hm, classmates quit the course prematurely because of a death in the family, namely their own. And when I graduated, not only did I not get my diploma, I'm apparently also an eyesore, reminding of a program that did neither produce a sufficient quantity of trained cadres, nor manage to serve any government fully. And what was I to do? I only have this particular set of skills. So it was either a gigolo or a freelance mercenary. Every now and then, I wonder if I made the right choice." the man sighed, but his tone clearly showed he was not being serious "Regardless, I survived in this business for long enough to gather both experience, wealth and connections. Which subsequently makes it easier to survive these days."

Yeah, the long version included a lot more blood and death, a fair ammount of betrayals and nasty surprises, which had left several scars...thankfully not on a place a shirt couldn't cover. It was hard to believe he had only been doing this for several years only. Terry shook his head, as if to chase away the memories, then leaned forward even more, until his face was next to Brooke's right cheek. Although it seemed a spontaneous movement, the playful smile suggested otherwise.

"Not bad, right? To tell you the truth, I'm not really sure if they are that good. My greatest hacking feat so far is uncovering a 5-symbol password for a network with next to no protection. Which reminds me" his face turned towards Jane, but he remained just as close as before. Now that the situation had calmed down enough - for the time being - he felt the urge to tease the girl, play with her a little...if he was lucky, maybe he'd find out something new about her, something he didn't already know. And if he was really lucky, well...he'd just have to wait and see "Was that how you got to know your extremist...friend? Was it connected to your love for...screens, keyboards, crashing databases and all that?"

Setting the gadgets carefully back into their container, but leaving it open as she couldn't bear to see them locked away, Brooke turned to face Terry for a moment as she listened to his story. It certainly explained a lot, and was an exciting story, but again, the realization of the issue at hand caused Brooke goosebumps, as she wondered how many people he'd actually killed.

Turning her back to him again she slumped against the couch in time to feel his looming presence ever closer. The smell of his shower gel filled her nose again as she closed her eyes for a moment, he smelled so good. She turned to meet his gaze as he spoke again, sighing, as she'd half hoped he was planning on kissing her. Another mental head slap. Brooke, you're asking for trouble, stop it. She was right. It had been far too long since she'd drank anything alcoholic and it was causing her to think a little less, clear.

When he asked about her 'friend' she remained silent, looking down in thought for a moment. Her heart seemed to hurt inside her chest as she thought of the man she'd once loved, Liam she'd called him, who'd done her so wrong. He was originally from South Africa, white skinned, athletic, blonde dread locks, eyes a smokey gray. His parents were researchers there when he was a child. She finally spoke. "It seems, I'm attracted to dangerous men," she said, more thinking outloud than anything. "But I met Liam under much different circumstances than one might think." She was in deep thought again. They had met in a coffee shop, during a rainstorm. Looking back on it, it had seemed so romantic. He really had had a genuine interest in her. "We were seeing eachother for a little while when I started catching on that he was up to something. But he played it off well, said it was lab work and research and things of the sort that he was helping his parents with. He said they were working with government files and things, in cooperation with them, some grounbreaking something or other, I was too in love to pay much attention to the things were over my head anyway."

She sighed again. Liam had soon learned of Brooke's gift with technology and asked her to hack into the databases so that they could help his parents out without having to pull them from their work to bother them for the passwords and such. Brooke did everything he said to do, anytime he said it. She would have followed Liam to the ends of the earth, it was more pathetic than anything. After one of the many long nights of work he asked her to stay with him, bedded her, made promises of love, and gave her the flash drive she now had and made her promise to keep it safe and hidden. It was only a few short days later that he and everyone she'd worked with dissapeared. "I thought he loved me," she said quietly.

The last thing Brooke wated to do was go down this road tonight. Speaking again she simply said, "I was a fool. I never meant to steal anything from anyone, I was set up. And now here I am, end of story," she looked up at him, "It's a boring story anyway." There was sadness in her eyes now, damn Terry, why did he have to ask about her past anyway. She'd almost rather he just kill her than make her feel that hurt again.

She had turned to face Terry when she spoke, but now she was just feeling silly. She looked down at her hands to avoid looking into his eyes, he was probably thinking she was one stupid girl about now.

"Boring, you say..." Terry shook his head and jumped over the couch without a warning, landing right next to the girl. He seemed...thoughtful now, for some reason, even though her mood changing wasn't supposed to be any concern of his "Don't know about that, sweetheart. If you ask me, any story, the ending of which involves hit contracts with a value counted in millions, as well as agents from at least two seperate governments, is anything but boring. I get how you'd want to avoid reminding yourself about it though..."

A short ringing sound interrupted him and he got the phone out of his pocket, opening the text message he had just recieved. There was no indication of who the sender was, but that was hardly surprising.

Intercepted comm. You cost 25. The two of you for 60. Extreme caution.

The message was sent by an unknown number, but he was pretty sure it was from Hailey. The assassin quickly put away his phone and sighed lightly, leaning back. Well, he had expected this to happen and was, quite frankly, pleasantly surprised by the exorbitant sum they put on his head. This much money for two people, none of which posessed any real sway in politics or military actions on an international level...he could imagine the confusion of his "colleagues". Even if they decided it really was no fluke, some of them would still not come after him. The agencies he was working with, they were never going to approve a contract for him. It was a part of the deal, after all. He brought them a stable inflow of cash and had enough information about their activities to prove to be a major problem, in the event they decided to go against him. Which meant at least a few of his suppliers and safehouses weren't going to be compromised. So...now he was the target. The man was actually kind of interested what it was like, being on the recieving end of an assassination contract. It was bound to be interesting, if nothing else. But, above all else, it meant that him and Brooke were now officially on the same team. Which, in turn, meant, he could loosen up around her as much as he wanted. She no longer had a reason to feel threatened by him and in turn he'd have to worry less about her doublecrossing him. Right now, they were both each other's most important asset. And he could finally talk and act freely. He didn't have to worry about feeling bad after killing the girl, since he wasn't going to take her life after all. That made him suprisingly relieved, enough to make his head spin for a split second, most likely with the help of the wine he had drunk so far. Their position was nothing to envy, but they were still alive and well, right? And it seemed tonight was going to be one of the rare occasions in which they could relax...have fun.

"Well" Terry rose from his seat and walked towards the table, returning a few seconds later with the two glasses, once again full "Don't let it get to you. I've been used by beautiful and supposedly sincere girls in my life so many times, I've lost count. Nowadays it doesn't happen that often, true, but the fact still remains. Got caught and...interrogated...for lack of a better word, because of one." the man sighed mentally. That was the last time he was going to do anything besides work in Malaysia. He remembered the situation quite clearly and it wasn't hard to see the resemblance to Brooke's story. He put one of the glasses in front of Brooke and sat down once again, even closer to her than before.

"By the way, I think you should know...somebody finally figured out I had something to do with your successful escape. As a result, I am now ridiculously valuable. Even more so if you're around. The irony is not lost on me." he raised his glass slightly and looked in Brooke's eyes "Can't think of a better reason to drink to our health and - hopefully - long and happy life. Forget the troubles of tomorrow and all that. Afterwards...well, we only have the one bed in the other room, so I guess I'll probably be taking the couch." Terry smiled and shrugged as if he didn't care. His playful expression suggested something more, however, especially with him almost pressed against her "Unless you have another idea, in which case I'd love to hear it..."

Brooke had been looking down, fumbling with her hands when Terry plopped onto the couch next to her, startling her slightly. Looking up, she smiled faintly at his words. Despite the fact that he had tried to kill her, and still could, he was kind. She watched as he pulled his phone from his pocket... and handsome, and exciting... Closing her sapphire eyes tightly for a moment as she gave her head a subtle shake. Stop it! She opened them again at the feeling of Terry getting up from the couch, letting them follow him to the dining room and back as he placed a full glass of wine in front of her.

Smiling at the sight of the glass of wine, Brooke picked it up and thanked Terry, smiling wider as she noted how close to her he'd sat on such a large couch. It had been some time since she had drank like this, and she certainly was enjoying the happy and care free feeling it gave her. She was sipping at the glass as Terry informed her of the message he'd recieved. So, he wasn't going to try and kill her now after all. A giant wave of relief swept over her, making her head spin, or maybe that was the wine. Either way, Brooke was feeling mighty happy about now as the glass was nearly empty. They should probably figure out what to do now, but she liked Terry's idea better as she raised her glass and toasted to their hopefully long and happy lives before finishing off the glass. Well, that wine had been short lived in Brooke's hands.

She was reaching out to place the glass on the coffee table when Terry playfully asked if she had any better suggestions as to where he should sleep tonight. Brooke smiled seductively now at Terry as she leaned close to him, resting one arm, bent, across the back of the couch, as her face neared his. "Now you wouldn't be trying to take advantage of poor little ol' me now would you, Terry?" she said in a sweet and sultry voice. Normally she would never have put herself out there like that, but she'd had an awful lot of wine, and who could help themselves sitting in front of someone like Terry in such an amazing, bachelor pad, such as this?

Brooke's actions came as somewhat of a surprise to the man. A very pleasant one, but stil he hadn't expected the girl to actually respond as positively as she did. A small red light was flashing in his brain, signaling that mixing business with pleasure was a very, very bad idea, but Terry simply ignored it. It wasn't that hard, really, all he had to do was take a good look at the girl now centimeters away from him. She was a rare find, this one. Gifted, beutiful and infamous. With a bounty on her head and a dark, priceless secret she was keeping...truly a woman after his own taste. People could look intentionally for one better tailored to his preferences and they'd fail. Maybe this was a part of the reason he was so persistent and energetic in his attempts to try and make her open up. That, the alcohol, or some of both. He felt tipsy already. Whatever the reason, however, there was no way he'd back off right now.

"Advantage? You wound me" Terry almost purred, looking at the girl with a slight smile on his face, at the same time she could feel his hands being placed on top of her leg and on the back of her neck "I don't plan on taking anything. I'm all about giving and tonight's specialty is pleasure. If you'll allow me to demonstrate..." he gently pulled her face towards him and kissed her with a thirst that contradicted his joking and seemingly carefree demeanor. It had been a while since he last had the time to actually become intimate with anyone and now she, with her hot breath, enticing curves and magical eyes was driving him crazy. He wanted her bad. As their lips parted he moved his towards her neck, leaying back on the couch and slowly pulling her on top of him as he did...

Her eyes widened for a moment when Terry's lips met hers. She hadn't actually expected him to react like this, but the suprise turned into excitement as her eyes closed and she kissed him back. Her brain was screaming, No no no! But her body was screaming Yes yes yes! A moan escaped her lips when Terry moved down her neck, as her fingers ran up the nape of his neck into his hair to ensure he wouldn't pull away just yet. When he pulled her on top of him, she wasted no time in pulling his black shirt over his head and tossing it onto the floor. Staring at his chiseled body like a child in a candy store, Brooke couldn't help but notice the deep scars as she gently ran her fingers over them. "Terry..." The next moments were a blur as the wine and excitement seemed to make her head spin... [[*I'm going to go ahead and faaaddee to black now :P*]]

~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~

Rolling onto her back, Brooke slowly opened her sapphire eyes to look around the large bedroom. How had she gotten in here? The lack of windows in the safe house made guaging the time of day difficult, but Brooke didn't look around for a clock, she didn't care enough. Her head was pounding and she felt like she'd run a marathon in her sleep. Hearing the slow breathing of another person next to her, Brooke closed her eyes tightly, realizing the thin sheet was the only thing on her body. What had she done? She sat up in the large bed, clutching the sheet to her chest as she rubbed at her temples, short flashbacks of the night filling her thoughts.

Looking over to Terry to make sure he was still asleep, Brooke moved off of the bed, leaving the sheet behind as she moved to find herself some clothes. Only a short time later, Brooke was standing in front of the coffee maker, barefoot, with a pair of shorts under a long sleeved and comfortable shirt, as she poured herself a cup of coffee. Her thoughts were jumbled as she tried to focus through her headache to determine what would happen now. They still needed to get that flash drive and figure out what was on it, and then what? Would Terry be done with her? Probably, that's how most men operated. Brooke shook her head as she took a sip of her coffee, either way, she was just glad they were on the same team now and she didn't have to worry about ditching or even killing him once they were out of here.

Terry's eyes opened a few minutes later, but he didn't move from his spot, staring at the sealing, grinning widely. Just the way he had wanted to wake up. Now he really felt energetic and happy altogether, a lot. Twenty-five for his head? Worth it, and he even hadn't gotten to the actual reward yet. He turned to the side, noticing with a slight disappointment there was nobody there. Though he had it coming, he guessed, usually he was the one leaving early. Then the smell of coffee caught his attention and he sighed contently. Could this day start any better? If they weren't underground, he was pretty sure the flowers would be blooming outside and birds would be singing on the window.

"Wow. Seriously, wow. I'd give an A for performance, but an A+ for effort. And...well, I don't say this often, but..." Terry paused for dramatic effect, before delivering the punchline just as he looked at Brooke "You actually look better without any..."

The sight in front of him made his grin disappear pretty quickly. Well, she didn't exactly seem in a good mood. Not at all even. Which came a major blow for the guy, now sitting upright in the bed. It couldn't be disappointment, right? Right? No way, no damn way. She was just confused, yeah, that had to be it. Terry's mind grabbed onto this idea for dear life to escape all other possible unpleasant conclusions, he sighed and got up, walking towards the girl.

"Look, dear..." he stopped in mid sentence once again, looked down and shook his head. And everything was going so well for him just seconds ago...he raised his index finger and smiled, though slightly irritated " 'xcuse me for a sec."

"Look, dear" Terry started over, sitting next to the girl a minute later, though this time he at least had shorts on "Do you really have to be that gloomy? Last night was great. Better than that, even. I wouldn't have guessed how limber..." the man coughed and waved with his hand, then started pouring himself some coffee "Anyway...no, wait, I'm not just going to avoid it! See, that's what I mean! Can't pretend nothing happened. A lot of good things happened, the way I remember it. And I'd very much like to come back to those great memories. So...please don't make this awkward. You're going to ruin it." he mumbled with a near-depressed expression while stirring his coffee. So much for that bright and shining day he had expected. At least they hadn't slept in too much.

Leaning against the counter as she sipped her coffee, Brooke watched as Terry walked towards her, what had he been mubling about in there? Raising her eyebrow slightly when he stopped in front of her, she glanced down, and back up as he seemed to realize the situation. When he reappeared with shorts on, Brooke took another sip of her coffee as she watched him babble about the night, eyebrow still raised. When he finally stopped talking she gave him a, can't you read my mind, kind of look before finally responding. "I have an awful hangover Terry, and despite the night you seem to remember a lot clearer than I do, there are people out there who want us dead, and that's a little unsettling on top of a headache like this..." she sipped her coffee again, "so relax, and find me something for my head, please," she begged.

It had seemed to her that the night was as great for Terry as it had been for her, too bad the wine had left her head hurting, and Terry had left her hurting, well, everywhere else. "What time is it?" she asked, rubbing her forehead, "Is it Monday yet? I don't know how much longer I can go without fresh air." Her coffee cup was empty as she pouted into it for a moment, not wanting to move. She should probably ask him what the plan was, but he seemed to be off in his own little world, so instead, she made her way to the sink and rinsed out the cup, glancing up at the television that had been left on overnight.

Her eyes widened as the cartoons she had been watching while she cooked dinner, were interupted with a breaking news bulletin. There on the screen, was two pictures, one of her, and one of Terry. The man speaking informed watchers to beware, that the two were armed and dangerous and spoke of their bounty and personal information as well as the last place they had been spotted, before flicking back to the cartoons. Well, that was going to make everything a lot harder...

Terry had remained silent during the news flash, looking at the TV over Brroke's shoulder. His expression had become serious and focused in a matter of seconds and he carefully listened to the words of the reporter. So...they had gone and made them both public targets. Two killings at a Las Vegas hotel, that was going to be difficult to cover up.But everything was possible with enough money. Truth be told, he had sort of expected this turn of events. Going public meant the people were less likely to believe anything the 'criminals' claimed to be true. The assassin shook his head lightly. It seemed he had to consider the option of eventually fleeing the country. Europe was still a safe haven, relatively free from the influence of both Russia and the US... By the time the broadcast ended, Terry had once again attained his previous laidback look, even smirking a little. He knew the basics of coping with pressure. The last thing the girl needed right now was to see uncertainty in the one that was supposed to know and able to do everything. This day was important...he was guessing both of them had to be in top shape, mental and physical.

"Now it's the two of us that are being hunted, yet you're the only one sulking." he pointed out while he got up from the chair and paused for a moment, shrugging. He then walked towards the next room, waving dismissively and with a grin, no less "Aspirin's in the top drawer, above the sink. Relax, our notoriety hardly comes as much of a surprise. Things could be worse. At least they picked good photos. We look hot."

As he opened the wardrobe door, he looked at the empty sack near him. Right, time to leave this place. Last thing he wanted right now was for some other hitman to want to use it as a hideout and find the girl here. Then he couldn't save her even if he wanted to. Men of this trade often went to shocking lenghts to hide their identity. He'd stack up a week or two's supply of clothes. When he exited the room about fifteen minutes later, it was apparent he now had his 'serious mode' on. While he could afford to relax in this place, the reality outside was diffrent. There, people were looking for him and not for anything pleasant too. His black suit, white shirt and black tie completed his businessman look, lessened only somewhat by the reflecting sunglasses. He needed those, however. Eyes were the things that gave people away most often, in more ways then one.

"Get everything you'll need. I'll be waiting in the car. Then you'll have to lead me to where you hid the thing. Once we're there, we'll see if we can access it easily. If we can't...well, I'll think of something up." Terry nodded calmly and grabbed the metal case with the hacking equipment in it. Holding the sack of clothes in his other hand, he slowly climbed up the ladder and Brook could hear the hatch being opened and closed behind him...

Sighing heavily at Terry's comment about her sulking, Brooke dried her hands on a kitchen towel. She wasn't sulking, that much. Really she just felt like crud, but the coffee was helping a little. She had followed him part way to the room to ask what their plan would be when he made a comment about their pictures. "They're making us out to be a regular modern day Bonnie and Clyde," she said. It was kind of exciting, but no matter how cool she thought it was for a moment, her brain snapped her right back into reality seconds later.

Looking towards the bags near the couch that held the clothes Terry brought her, she figured she didn't need to do much packing, but she should probably change. Making her way to the couch, she sat down for a moment rubbing her temples. Her dear family flashed into her mind, how she missed them so. The last weeks there had been rough, her dad yelling about how much time she was spending with this boy, who they didn't have a good feeling about. They had been so right. She shook her head. What she would give to see them again. Would they be glad to see her, would they have bought into the stories the news was spreading?

She nodded as Terry made his way out of the exit, staring up at the closed hatch for a moment in deep thought. Terry was on the run now too, because of her. But why? Because of the flash drive. She sighed again as she stood and picked up the bags, forget changing, she just wanted this to be over already, and the quicker they got to that drive the quicker she could get her life back. She hoped. The key to her safety deposit box had been in the pocket of her bloodied outfit. She had removed it when she threw the clothes away and left it on the bedroom dresser. Grabbing the key, she made her way out of the safehouse.

After what seemed like an eternity of judgemental stares, Brooke was out of the building and throwing her bags into the trunk, slamming it closed and quickly hopping into the passengers seat of the vehicle Terry was waiting in. "The drive is in a safety deposit box at the post office at the end of the strip," she said, knowing that the crowded place was the last place they needed to be.

"Gotcha."

Terry fired up the engine and drove ahead, checking the rear-view mirror every minute or so. He doubted anybody could have tracked him down for less than a day but one could never be sure. His fingertips were tapping on the clutch, more out of excitement than nervousness. This was it, he'd finally see what was it that made Brooke so important to such influential people. Though...then what? He hadn't thought this through, mostly reacting to the rapidly changing situation. But what was going to happen after they got the data and even if she agreed to let him have it? What did he have to offer her in return? He was rather wealthy but even he couldn't just pull out a few million dollars from his pocket...and it wasn't sure she'd want money at all. Disregarding what she wanted, what she needed without a doubt was protection. Could he offer her that...or would it put him into too much risk? While he certainly had a set of skills which were invaluable in similiar situations, he was far better at using those to end lives, not protect them. He looked at Brooke, taking his eyes off the road for a split second.

"We're nearly there. And I have to be perfectly honest here, this is where it gets tough. We escaped before but back then nobody counted me as a part of the equation. " Terry's eyes looked forward again "I've made some preparations but the next days are nontheless probably going to be...unpleasant. Then again, you should be used to running and laying low by now and I should come up with some sort of an alternate option soon. But that is only in case we end up in the same team after we check those files. Think about what you want to do, whether we should make a quick deal and both go our seperate ways or something more...cooperative. I will too but's not just my call. Just wanted to make sure we're both aware of our current standing. I dislike miscommunication." Terry pulled over, putting on his sunglasses again. The less visible his face, the less likely it was that he'd be recognized "We're here. I should probably wait in the car, keep an eye out...but I'll go in with you if you feel better that way." the assassin shrugged, smiling lightly "I'm all aboud satisfaction, you know?"

All the while Terry drove Brooke kept her eyes mostly on her passenger mirror. She was feeling paranoid, more so now than ever. Before it had just been the governments after her, or higher ups, she didn't really know (as if that was nothing). But now, everyone knew to look out for her. She knew people were looking out for Terry too, but she wasn't sure she cared too much. He had tried to kill her after all. But really, she just wanted to bury herself in a hole, which was ironic considering the chances of that actually happening in the next few days were really high. Maybe she'd be 'fed to the fishes' or something, though she really hoped not. Drowning was one of her biggest fears. Plus, she'd rather not be anything's dinner.

She shuddered. Where had her mind drifted? She wasn't supposed to be counting down the minutes and wondering how she was going to go. She was supposed to be surviving, like she always had. She bit onto her bottom lip and clutched the key in her hand tightly until the pain from the cuts on her palms registered and she forced herself to relax.

Brooke nodded at Terry's words. So there was a chance that they would be splitting up? She wasn't sure how she felt about that. Once she got the drive and they saw what was on it, he really didn't need her anymore. In fact, he could use the drive and her dead body to get himself off the hook. She closed her eyes for a moment and rested her head against her seat. What was she going to do?

Yesterday she'd thought they were going to be in this together, that he was going to protect her and clear her name, but now he was wanted too, and he was still a hit man and she wasn't feeling so naive. He could take the drive, off her, get her bounty and get himself off the hook now. And why wouldn't he? She would.

When they pulled to a stop Brooke removed the hair tie from her wrist and pulled her blonde hair back from her face. Strands that weren't quite long enough fell around her sapphire eyes as they stared out the window now. Was she over reacting? Maybe. But she was still pissed off. He had all the connections she needed to see what was on that drive and to stay alive, so she really didn't have any other choice but to go in and get the drive and come back.

All about satisfaction, pfft. All about using every last ounce of someone for his own personal benefit. "I'll be fine," she said. "I handled things fine before you showed up, I can handle them fine now." She was out of the car now, slamming the door behind her. She'd said those things so rudely, but they were really directed at herself. She was reassuring herself that she didn't need Terry. But she did need to keep her cool so he wouldn't realize she was onto him. Still, she was angry at her assumptions, and it was proving hard to hide. She turned to face the post office and caught a glimpse of her reflection in the windows.

Shorts, tennis shoes, a long sleeved shirt... absolutely nothing hiding or disguising anything about her. Oops. She needed to make this quick. She hurried inside the building, careful not to seem too hurried or alarmed, not wanting to draw attention. The post office was square with an island in the middle that was the employee office. Rooms lined the hall that ran around the office, filled with safety deposit boxes of different sizes. An emergency exit was on the back side of the building, near the room her box was located in. That's how she remembered where to go.

Her sneakers padded almost silently down the narrow hall and to the room in the back left corner of the building. Even the post office had an air of Vegas about it with it's neon lights, ugly patterned carpets, and fruity scent. When she reached the safety deposit box numbered 967 she wasted no time inserting her key and grabbing out the small drive. She stared down at it in her hand and frowned. Whatever was on this drive was supposed to be worth her life, and millions of dollars? It seemed so hard to believe, but she was going to find out why...

((I left it here since I wasn't sure yet where you wanted to take the story. She could decide to run out the back exit, or someone else could have come in the back exit. I just dunno what you want to do. :) If Terry stays in his vehicle I'll just have her come out, it's up to you!))

Well, she certainly didn't seem to be in the greatest of moods. Terry sighed and waited for her to go inside the building, after which he got out of the car and looked around. The shoe store ten meters ahead seemed like the best spot to watch over the entrance so he headed there, smiling briefly at the salesman that welcomed him.

"Can I help you?"

"No, thank you. Just browsing."

Taking a look at the building on the other side of the street every few seconds, the assassin slowly walked around the stands. There seemed to be nothing particularly interesting on them and, besides, he had other things on his mind. A plan had to be made quick, one that would take them out of Vegas...and possibly the US, most likely without using a commercial flight. Places, people and means of transportation were spinning around in his head, information from which he quickly pieced together. Yes, this was probably the best way. To Mexico or Cuba by boat, then relocation to Europe. Possibly Asia. he hadn't been to China recently but at the same time he had less connections there. Maybe it wasn't the best idea after all.

The sound of screeching tires made him snap out of his thoughts and move sligthly to the left, hiding from the sight of those that were walking on the street. That wasn't good, the sound was getting closer...and Terry had trouble believing it was a coincidence. Seconds later two black BMW's pulled over next to the post office and three men got out of each seemingly instanteneously. Black suits, white shirts, black ties, a walk that said "Field agent"...no mistake, those were feds. How had they found out? Were they watching the post office the whole time? There wasn't any time to think, he had to get away and warn the girl at the same time. Forget about liking her, if they caught her now and he lost her tracks...well, she was dead and he had nothing to buy his life with anymore so technically he'd be dead as well. That didn't seem like a happy alternative for his future. His hand snuck under his jacket, gripping the gun handle as he walked towards the BMW's, not paying any mind to the salesman wishing him a nice day. Two drivers, eyes fixed at the entrances of the building, meaning they weren't going to see him fast enough. He pulled the gun out as he had almost reached his car, aimed carefully and shot, hitting the side of the the first one's head before anybody understood what was happening. The other agent turned and tried to duck - a split second too late. The first bullet caught him in the shoulder, pushing him back into the seat right as Terry emptied the rest of the clip in the same direction, sitting on the driver's seat right after. He had to kill them - he couldn't risk them chasing him and providing a detailed description of his car. A lot of firepower was still hidden in it and it currently wasn't as fast or maneuverable as it normally would. The other purpose was...well, if so much gunfire wasn't enough to warn Brooke that something bad is happening, nothing would. The tires screeched and he left off, leaving the two dead bodies and panicking bypassers behind him.

His mind was racing as he drove on. What if he hadn't been on time? What if they had captured her already? She must have gotten the drive, would they kill her straight away or would they question her ferst? Probably the latter. All evidence pointed that some people were very worried about these files...and probably about who had seen them. No, they probably would want to get to him through her and in the process find out whether she knows what the contents of the flash drive are. Since Brooke was smart, she was probably going to figure out they would off her as soon as she had nothing of value to them. She wouldn't talk freely...so they'd have to make her somehow. Starting with a weakness. Leverage. Things she cared about...Terry growled nervously and got his phone out of his pocket, quickly typing a message.

Brooklyn Jane Harrison - check family residences, cameras on them in last 48 hours. Let me know if you find something.

The message to Hailey was sent and the assassin hit the steering wheel in a burst of anger. How could have things gone wrong so early on? Oh how he was hoping the girl had managed to escape and he only had to find out where she had hidden...