Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ 3 Ties That Bind ❯ Twenty-Seven ( Chapter 27 )

“Ladies, I’ve got…breakfast…” Jun stepped into the bedroom and stared at the empty bed in disbelief before looking to the bathroom and then turning to move to the closet.

Empty.

The Asian man considered that a long moment as he turned to look at the windows on the far side of the room…and the one that was hanging open.

He darted to it, sticking his head out and looking down.

It was further than they could really jump, so he hadn’t thought they’d take it, and it wasn’t even like he’d thought they might get out on their own…

Shit, he should have thought about it a little more when he’d realized they were wearing combat boots.

He set the bag with personal supplies on the windowsill and propped himself against one arm.

The king didn’t know where he was, right?

If they didn’t know where he was it wasn’t like they could confirm that the girls were there…and if…

He turned and darted into the main room as one of his guys started to protest about the door being left open.

“What’s it saying?” he demanded of the guy he’d set to watching the news reports.

“Nothing, really,” the guy returned, meeting his eyes. He frowned. “What’s up?”

“They’re gone,” Jun returned, turning to his second. “They’re…gone.”

The man stared at him.

“Oh…fuck.”

- -

“You said you’d have them check in!” Trowa shouted at the screen. “You said you’d prove they were fine! Where is my daughter! Alex! Lex! Lexia!”

Jun slammed his hand against the screen, his eyes angry. “You’ll have to just take my word, Mr. Barton.”

“Where is my daughter,” I demanded, moving forward myself. “You were showing us they were fine…what happened? If someone raped them, so help me…”

“I told you, Mr. Winner,” Jun hissed back with narrowed eyes, “you’ll have to trust me. If you don’t want me to kill them, I suggest you do as I say.”

“We won't transfer the money without seeing our children safe,” I hissed in return.

“I wouldn’t harm your children, Mr. Winner. You lot are a bit too unstable for that.”

“So you kidnap them?” Trowa demanded, his ire rising again.

“Transfer the money!” Jun shouted back at us, making the speakers crackle…before disconnecting.

I shifted back on my heels to turn wide eyes onto Trowa.

Trowa stared back at me.

…something was wrong.

We could tell it by the way Jun’d informed us that the girls were eating and couldn’t come to the vid. He’d told us where to transfer the money to…and things had kinda gotten messy.

Where were the girls? Had they actually ran?

He couldn’t have been stupid enough to…

He had left that cell phone with them for whatever reason before he left.

- -

“What’s up?” Wufei muttered as Som peeked up from where he’d been curled in the back seat of the car. “We’re pulling into Branton.”

“Who is it?” I asked, poking at the cut of my lip with my tongue.

“What do you mean, he won’t let you talk to them?” Wufei demanded sharply. I could hear…Trowa…talking quickly in his agitated fashion. For a man usually so quiet, when he got aggravated he could talk damn fast… “Wh…no…I…wait…” Wufei frowned as the talking intensified. “Trowa!”

Keith looked over his shoulder at the Asian males a moment, turning into a large parking lot.

“He said he’d have them call and then called back and said that we had to just trust him,” Wufei informed me with a frown.

Som sat up.

“What? Yeah…maybe ten minutes. No…well, see, Keith decided to be a genius and hit Duo…and we ended up going off the road…no. Yes…well, they got out of the car to do it…no. You shouldn’t have to ask,” his tone went extremely dry. “Duo got a few bruises, but he basically kicked his ass. Yes, I know…well, let’s see…it’s a two-door car, it wasn’t in park, and by the time I got out to stop them they were both just kinda laying there…heh, I kicked Duo.”

I gave him a look and he smiled back innocently.

“Well, Keith decided to add asshole on top of genius and was tearing Som a new asshole because evidently the fact that he was hired to create a scandal and didn’t means he’s completely to blame for Duo’s infidelity.”

I flinched hard, turning away from my friend.

“…well, no. Som went fetal and Duo threatened to do something unpleasant before Keith’d shut up. All right,” he added in a sort of understanding voice…and passed the phone to Som.

Som blinked at that, then blinked at him…before taking it. “Yeah?” he asked in a very quiet voice.

“He said that Jun called this morning,” Wufei informed Keith and I. “He was being his normal cheery self and said he’d go get the girls breakfast and have them call back…and then he called back about an hour later and said that they were busy and couldn’t come to the phone. He gave them the account numbers and insisted they transfer the money and he’d send the girls back afterwards.”

I looked to Keith.

“He said that Jun wasn’t as calm and composed when he called back, too. I guess he’d been forcing that good humor.”

“Did I ever tell you that Jun was grinding kaseen onto your food?” Ace asked, looking away from us.

“What?” Wufei asked blankly.

“He had those meals prepared for you, remember? All sweet and nice as he said he wouldn’t drug your food, but there was enough kaseen in that shit to keep you going for days.”

Wufei blinked.

“I think his plan was that you’d eventually be starving enough to take a bit and that’d be a substantial dose. If you’d have eaten the plate it’d probably have killed you.”

“He wouldn’t dare,” I growled, horror rising in my stomach at the idea of my nieces with that.

“I don’t know, Duo,” Keith muttered, looking sidelong at me. “His gear ’s slipped a groove and he’s running in fourth going about ten.”

I focused on my wrapped hand as it stung, realizing I had my fist clenched tightly. It was probably bleeding…

“It’s just…” I could hear tears in Som’s voice. “I know…but…”

“Can you give the kid a break?” I demanded of Ace instead, covering my face with my left hand. “He wasn’t out there because he thought I was coming. There was no way he could have known I’d go out there, and they’re guarded at night so he wouldn’t have just been going out there nightly.”

“How do you know? Ryu said his brat was trained like you damned pilots.”

I shook my head.

“It’s what he was paid for.”

“Then why didn’t he press charges?” I hissed.

The man considered that, and I blinked as it occurred to me that he and Selena had the exact same eyes.

Now that’s one to fuck with you.

“…what did you do to him?” Keith whispered harshly.

“But…” Som muttered something I couldn’t quite understand.

“I didn’t do anything,” I retorted.

“What you consider anything is hardly the norm.”

I tsked at him in irritation, noticing from the corner of my eye that Wufei was running his hands comfortingly through Som’s hair. His expression was sad, and I had to wonder if he was listening to Keith and I or not.

“I’m serious,” Keith persisted. “If you scared him, he wouldn’t want to cross you.”

“He doesn’t like pain,” I noted, looking away. “I didn’t do anything.”

Keith’s cell started to ring.

“Yeah?” he asked almost instantly having the thing to his ear. His eyes lit up and he turned his head to look at me. “Are you…really? A rope?” that was confused. “You’re joking, right? You double-crossin’ me? No? You sure? I will take your man and throw…heh,” he smirked evilly. “He’s fine, but I’m not there so I can’t give you that reassurance. I have him with a friend. Searching?” the expression became less pleased. “Three? Cameras?” he snickered. “All right. If you go over to the Range Hotel on Sandy street you’ll find him. Huh? No…actually, I’m straight, so he’s just kinda bound and gagged on the bed.”

I choked on that, noting that Wufei was looking to us.

“Oh, it doesn’t matter now,” Keith reassured him. “You just told me everything I needed to know…oh yeah. No…hey, I didn’t hurt your man too much, so let it go. Talk your way out and go untie him. I left the key under his windshield wiper…bye.”

“What?” I demanded.

The man laughed delightedly, turning to look at me properly. “The girls are gone.”

“Gone?” I demanded, starting to move.

“They escaped around three last night,” he agreed happily.

I stopped.

“Said something about a bus or a taxi…had some sort of rope…the security guy fell asleep around two-thirty and woke up around three-fifteen, which was enough time for them to be at least in Branton. Jun’s freaking out.”

“Hey, Trowa?”

I turned to look at Som, who was rubbing at tears in his eyes as he frowned at Wufei.

“Yeah…well, Keith’s inside source just let us know that the girls aren’t with Jun anymore. Something about a camera guy falling asleep and a rope.”

Relief warred with horror.

Why hadn’t they called?

“There was something about a bus or a taxi, and a boyfriend tied up in a hotel room…yeah…I think I remember why we started calling Keith a lunatic…” he laughed. “Heero might appreciate that more.”

Keith turned to grin at him.

I opened the car door, looking the city over. “Where are they?”

“What?” Keith and Wufei demanded at the same time.

“Where are they? Where is Jun?” I returned, looking back to them.

“Why?” Keith asked warily.

I stared directly back at him, not commenting.

“Ryu said it was a three story over on Blockford,” Keith pointed to the northwest. “I guess its’ got a red-brick fence and bar gates and shit, cost a hefty mil.”

“How do you know that?” Som asked. I could see that he didn’t want Keith’s attention on him anymore than it had to be, but the guy was talking about his father.

“Well, see,” Keith returned, “after Nira left yesterday morning, Janie finally went into labor. We couldn’t get ahold of Nira at the castle to tell her, so I decided I’d go check out what was going on. I was checking into a hotel when Sunan strolled up to me and informed me that he knew who I was. That always gets my attention, because other than this lot,” he indicated Fei and I, “no one calls me Ace…or the Lunatic…he used both.”

I leaned down to meet Wufei’s eyes.

He was obviously thinking.

“It’s…not…my dad…tied up, is it?”

“What?” Keith looked startled by that, then sniggered and looked to me.

“Evidently I fucked him when I was chasing you,” I noted.

“Who didn’t you fuck?” Wufei grumbled.

“You,” I returned.

He gave me a look to melt stone—even if he was still wearing my ring.

“What?” Som demanded, sitting up straighter.

“Oh, yeah,” I muttered. “Those two years? He was the dumb-ass I was trying to find.”

“I run real good,” Keith explained in return.

“But…you’re…Selena’s twin,” Som protested, his eyes going wide as he looked back to me.

I smiled at him. “I’ve been screwed under, over, around, and through in my life. I don’t let the little things affect me anymore.”

“Including marriage oaths,” Ace snapped.

“I told you it was a mistake,” I snapped. “Shit, you’d think Selena was crying herself to sleep at night over one indiscretion.”

“Just once?” Keith asked, amazed.

“He told her later that day,” Som agreed, looking down. “I had to tell Quatre what happened, and then Fei and Heero both demanded if he’d raped me.”

Keith’s eyes narrowed on mine.

I wasn’t going to react anymore…I had more important things to do.

I stared back to him.

“I coulda pressed charges,” Som noted, looking sadly to Keith. “I coulda did exactly what Jun had wanted me to do…but Duo cares about me…and Selena both. Selena’s a better mom to me than mine was.”

“Some sort of dad though, huh?” Keith snapped, still watching me.

Wufei sighed and slid between the two seats so his ass was in the passenger. “Trowa’s his father, Ace. Let’s get going. I need to figure out where the girls went.”

“What about Duo?” Keith snapped.

“We’ve always known Duo’d kill Jun,” Wufei retorted. “Drive, Keith. We need to hit the taxi garage and the bus depot.”

I slammed the door as Keith tried to bicker, flicking the glass in Som’s face when he looked back to me with very sad eyes. He flinched at that, and I stepped away as the car creeped forward.

My cell started ringing.

“Yo?”

“Hey, Mr. Johnson!” Jesse said happily. “I just heard the most amazing thing…”

“Yeah, Jun took them yesterday,” I snapped back irritably. “I know it broke on the news this morning.”

Jesse laughed…that same happy laugh.

“I hardly think its funny,” I snapped at him.

“It’s the damnedest thing,” he returned. “I just came across the two most gorgeous little girls…and for some reason they keep calling me uncle.”

I stared after Keith’s car as my heart-beat doubled, waving at them as I realized I needed to share this.

“They’re telling me some fantastic story about a train ride from hell and combat boots needing better lining…I don’t believe them, though. I told them I should send them home because their daddies might be missing them, and they informed me that there was this big syndicate after them…so I’m jealous. How could you let Jun re-plant Swathe when Jaded can’t even sneeze without having a firearm pointed in their direction?”

I started laughing, looking up to the sky as the relief broke completely.

Keith’s car reversed.

“How did you find them?” I asked as the car stopped beside me again.

“What’s up?” Wufei demanded, the window rolling down.

I leaned forward to look in at the three occupants. “Jesse’s telling me lies.”

“Lies?” Wufei asked blankly.

“He’s claiming that two little girls showed up calling him uncle,” I returned. “I guess they’re telling him tall tales.”

Wufei stared at me.

I laughed more.

“I’m over in Garrison,” Jesse added. “I expect a full pardon for this, Duo.”

“Shit, your statute ran out about a month ago…Garrison?”

“Garrison?” Wufei repeated.

“You’re kidding, right?” Keith demanded. “This is some sick demented joke?”

“Duo!” Alex exclaimed as Jesse tried to protest. “Duo! We made it away! We got away! Just like you told us!”

“And you thought we were just trying to traumatize you,” I noted, starting to smile.

“My arm hurts,” Marlea noted. “Uncle, my arm hurts.”

“We did it!” Alex repeated excitedly in the background.

“I just checked us into a little hotel called Log-Cabin,” Jesse noted…I had to imagine they were taking the phone from each other. “I want you to know that if it’s not one of you assholes rolling in here with a tank or something, we aren’t coming out.”

“Garrison, a little hotel called Log-Cabin,” I repeated to Wufei. “He says he wants a tank.”

Wufei snorted.

“Did we do good?” Alex asked uncertainly. “Was it okay that we didn’t call you?”

“Well,” I mused, “if you’d called before you were safe, Jun may have scented it. I guess he didn’t find out until about a half hour ago that you were gone.”

She giggled a little.

“Duo, be careful,” Wufei muttered, reaching out to grab my arm. “Don’t let him get you…and don’t make this…carnage…all right?”

I frowned at him as the car started away.

“All right?” Wufei persisted, leaning out the window. “Duo!”

“Fine!” I snapped back.

“Uncle?”

“Wufei and Keith are coming,” I returned…as the car peeled from the parking lot.

“Why aren’t you?” Alex asked, suddenly sounding nervous.

“Because I have some unfinished business to take care of,” I returned. “Something I should have done years ago.”

“You…didn’t hurt Som, did you?” she asked quietly. “I know…I know it wasn’t good, what happened…but…he didn’t try to kill you, did he?”

“He almost did,” I noted. “He’s fine, though.”

“Jun said he was left at the castle and that he was…Duo? How’s Tad?”

“I don’t know, baby,” I returned. “I…he was alive when we got to the school and Heero gave him some advice to keep him alive…but we’ve been busy since then.”

“Okay,” I could hear the tears in her voice.

“Hey, love,” I muttered, starting to walk, “it’s almost over, right? You’re with Uncle Jesse and can take a shower…and in a matter of hours you’ll be back with your dads.”

“And you?” she asked.

Why did she have to realize I wasn’t with the others?

“I’ll be late, baby,” I noted. “I love you…let me talk to Marlea.”

“Uncle?” Lea asked in her own scared tone.

“Hey, sweet,” I returned. “You guys did a really good job…and it was really good that you thought to call Jesse.”

“Why is Alex crying?”

“Wufei is coming to get you.”

“Wufei? Not you?”

“You’ll see your dad in a few hours,” I noted pointedly.

“You’re going after Jun, aren’t you?”

“I’ll be late, huh? I’ll get home some time tonight or tomorrow morning.”

“Duo…are you sure he’s worth it?”

“Marlea,” I returned seriously, “Jun Martin tried again and again to force Wufei into…into a relationship with him…and then he even kidnapped him. If that wasn’t bad enough, he hired Som to ruin me and kill me.”

“He did?” she sounded sad. “You didn’t kill him, did you?”

I laughed a bit, crossing the street. “I have to let you go now. I’ll be home tonight or tomorrow.”

“Wait…that…”

“The Cheshire Cat is an assassin, Marlea,” I said quietly. “The Cheshire Cat is a known enemy of Jun Martin.”

She swallowed.

“Ask me no questions and I’ll tell you no lies,” I added. “And I mean that if you don’t ask me questions, I won’t lie to you. Let Jesse have a look at that cut, huh? And when you see me again you can knee me in the nuts or something.”

“What?” she asked, laughing slightly.

“It was my fault,” I explained. “I was the reason he cut you.”

“You better have steel balls then,” she noted in amusement.

“Just make sure those boots don’t have steal toes,” I noted, starting up the sidewalk. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

- -

E/N: Okay, 29 chapters total, so I'm doing this one now and I'll do the end tomorrow.