{SPN J2 Big Bang} Gunmetal Dawn - Chapter 3
Fic Title: Gunmetal Dawn
Author name: deannawol
Artist name: grayscaled
Genre: RPS AU
Pairing: Jensen/Jared
Rating: NC-17 / R
Word count: 66,666
Warnings: Slash (M/M) relationship, oral sex, violence, language, angst .
Summary: J2 Cyberpunk AU; Three years ago, Christian Kane betrayed Jared Padalecki and killed most of his family. Mercenary Jensen Ackles saved him and his younger sister Megan and brought them to live with them out in the wilds of Texas. Jared's been training and is finally ready to take Kane on to win back his family's corporate empire. However, the course of true love never runs smoothly and in regaining what he's lost, he's put everything he loves in jeopardy, including his partner and lover, Jensen. A J2 Romance in a Cyberpunk AU setting.
Link to Fic Masterpost: Link
Link to Art Masterpost: Link
Previous Chapter
"Maverick, confirm eyes on target?" Jensen's earpiece echoed back his words a second before Josh answered.
"Confirmed Winchester, full visibility on the rear of the motel. Sniper confirms that he's sighted and loaded, ready for signal," Josh answered from his position staking out the back of the motel, Tom stretched out beside him in the back of the jeep, his rifle trained on the window.
Jensen turned to Jared and nodded, "We're just waiting on your signal, Colt. Whenever you're ready."
It had taken two weeks of hard planning to get to this point, but now, camped outside the Rolling Sixes motel, the comms were open and the adrenaline was running high. Jared tapped his hand against his leg, pacing slightly.
"Chad, you're sure it's him. No possibility it could be someone else?" Jared asked, scrubbing a hand through his shaggy hair.
"Chill, man, the Datameister is never wrong. He's in there with his bodyguard, arrived about an hour ago, booked for the night according to the charge on the card of one Mister C. Yabrowski. Where do these guys get all these fake cards? I mean I can hardly even qualify for the one I have, but at least it gives me loyalty points that I get to spend on cool gadgets that do..." Chad paused for a moment and there was the tapping of keys, "this."
Jared's phone pinged and a video file appeared. Jared tilted the phone so Jensen could see the screen and sure enough, there was Christian Kane sauntering up to Room 14 and opening the door, a bag over his shoulder and his blond bodyguard following along behind him, looking over his shoulder. Unmistakable.
Jensen covered his mic with his hand, giving them a sort of privacy, "Jay, I know this is huge to you, that you're starting to second guess yourself, but you gotta get your head in the game. This is just a run. This is just another bad guy that we're gonna take down. Nothing special about him. Nothing at all, yeah? This is just another job, gottit?"
Jared's eyes flicked from the screen to the room door to Jensen then back at the room door, "Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Just another job."
"We know the target is in the room with one other body. Minimal armour, minimal weaponry," Jensen spoke softly, "One main entrance that we're going in through, one secondary exit but that's covered by Mav and Sniper. We got everything covered that we can cover, all we gotta do now is kick the door in and hand him his ass."
Jared let his hand dip down, pulling his Colt Rampage handgun free of its holster and quickly checking the magazine. Fully loaded, as expected. Slamming the clip home, he racked the slide and flicked off the safety. He pulled the connection wire free and plugged it into the port. He closed his eyes as the display flashed to light, red crosshairs visible in the darkness the second he opened his eyes. Taking a deep breath, he glanced at Jensen.
"Lets do this!" Jared started towards the room door, "All units, be advised, we're about to bust this party wide open. Watch for any jumping rats."
Turning his head to the side, he smiled at Jensen, "You got the cameras?"
Jensen patted his pocket, feeling the two small wireless units in his pocket.
"Everything's good to go," Jensen confirmed.
"Alright then, lets do this," Jared smiled.
Jensen crouch-ran from his position across the parking lot, using the cars for cover. Black Impala to Red Buick to busted up Mustang, then stop and signal Jared forward. Hopskotching across the car park until they were pressed flat to the stucco wall either side of the door. Jensen nodded once to Jared, his handgun clutched tightly in his hand, wires connected to his forearm ports, heads-up display up and active. Everything green across the board. He was ready, beyond ready to get this done.
Jared held up three fingers and started the countdown.
Three.
Two.
One.
Jared moved quickly to stand in front of the door and with a solid kick, the door handle disintegrated into splinters and scrap metal, swinging wide to crash against the wall. Jensen swept in low, rushing into the room, gun forward and tracking for targets. There was a flash of blond and Jensen was moving. Running around the bed, Jensen skidded to a stop, his gun pressed tight against the throat of a crouching Steve Carlson.
"Twitch and you're dead!" his voice was low, dangerous.
Carlson froze, looking into cold green eyes and weighing up his options. Jensen shook his head. He watched the other man look at the gun and then back and finally he raised his hands. Jensen spared a glance in the direction that Steve had been reaching and saw a holster half covered by a pair of scruffy jeans. Kicking it back out of reach, Jensen hunkered down and picked up Carlson’s gun, tucking it in his waistband. He allowed himself to relax a little and take in the scene. Hunkered down between the bed and the wall Christian Kane's bodyguard was decked out in enough leather to cover any two cows. Black leather trousers, black leather shirt, gloves and a peaked leather cap decked out in silver chains. Little ostentatious, but very intimidating. Shame for him that he hadn't kept his gun a little closer, Jensen thought as he backed up a little, getting out of range. He gestured for Steve to stand and move towards the bed.
"You good, Colt?" Jensen asked, keeping his eyes trained on the target in front of him.
"Oh, I'm good. Really good," Jared answered, a laugh in his voice. "Mav, you wanna come 'round and see this? You’re not going to believe this. Sniper, dismantle and bring the truck round, yeah?"
Curiosity got the better of Jensen, he flicked a look over at Jared. He was staring at the bed, gun pointed at the figure there. Jensen returned his gaze to Steve watching the man carefully. His shoulders were slumped and he was settled down on his knees. Didn’t look like an immediate threat but Jensen was suspicious. Bodyguards like Carlson didn’t just fold that easily. Could be a ploy, could be a ruse to make Jensen back down just a little, enough to give him an opportunity. But Jensen wasn’t relaxing. Not with Jared potentially in the line of fire. He kept his gun trained on Steve as he faced the figure on the bed, thanking God and Padalecki Microcybernetics for the picture-in-picture option that came with his connectors.
It took him a second to realise what he was seeing there but when he did he could feel the laugh bubbling up inside until finally it busted free. There on the bed, handcuffed to the cheap plywood headboard, trussed up like a Thanksgiving turkey, gagged with a big red rubber ball and dressed in little more than a series of straps was the great Christian Kane. And scattered around him were various instruments of torture and, Jensen supposed, pleasure. If you thought that sort of thing was fun.
The man hadn't aged much, still built with the same long hair hanging down to just below his ears. His eyes followed Jared as he moved around the room, brow furrowed.
"Guys..." Chad's voice cut through the laughter, "Guys, ya kinda gotta let the rest of us in on the joke, yeah? Cameras? Remember the cameras?"
Jensen dug into his pocket and pulled out the two small cameras. He tossed one to Jared and placed the other on a wall, sticking it in place and thumbing the switch. A light flickered on the top and then turned a solid red.
"Should be transmitting now. You getting a signal?" Jensen asked.
"Second camera online now. You got them?" Jared asked.
"Just give me one min... I got them. Strong and clear and is that Kane in the... um... Nice straps?"
"Holy..." Josh whistled.
"Looks like the gang's all here!" Jensen leaned back against one of the walls, keeping himself out of the camera arcs. He flashed a smile to Jared, eyes crinkling around the edges. "Any time you're ready."
Christian Kane was theirs, and all without a single shot fired. Couldn't have asked for better. And with Chad recording everything... This was gonna be easy. Almost too easy and Jensen's hackles rose. Sure, this could be the end of it, but he wasn't taking any chances.
"Sniper is outside?" he asked Josh.
Josh just nodded, eyes still on Kane's rather exposed perversities. Jensen pushed past him, smacking him on the arm to snap him outta his haze. Tom stood beside the Jeep, eyes scanning the parking lot.
"Sniper, I want you watching the footpaths, the crossings, the road. Keep your eyes open for anything unusual," Jensen's voice was low as he spoke, "Black SUVs, trucks, anyone taking too much notice. Call it in. Doesn't matter if it's nothing. It makes the hair stand on the back of your neck, it makes you think 'that's odd', I want you on the mic, calling it in. You got that?"
Sniper nodded and moved slightly to give himself a slightly better position. Jensen patted him on the shoulder and made his way back inside.
"Mav, I want you backing up Sniper. Make sure no one comes into this room. You got that?"
"Gottit," Josh confirmed, "Stay safe, Winchester. They make a move, blast 'em!"
"Will do!"
Jensen pushed the door closed behind his brother. "Colt, this is all yours."
Jared dug through Christian's bag of tricks and pulled out a second set of handcuffs, tossing them to Jensen, "I think Steve would look good up on the bed beside Christian. If you'd do the honours?"
Testing the restraints, Jensen gestured for Steve to stand and turn. His chin rose and Jensen recognised the defiance in his eyes. Jensen kept his gun ready, just in case. He could see the twitch of muscles, the readying to strike and he lashed out, striking first. His gun smashed across Steve's cheek, glancing a blow to his nose hard enough to audibly break it. Steve cried out, staggering slightly. Blood flowed freely, running through Steve's fingers as he tried to pinch it off.
"On the bed," Jensen ordered, gun once again pointing at the other man.
Steve glared but sat on the bed. Jensen moved quickly snapping the handcuffs around one wrist and then securing them to the headboard. He wasn't happy about Steve still having a hand free but the broken nose would be enough to keep him busy. He quickly patted under the pillows and the sheets, checking for weaponry but came up empty. Jared was pulling up a rickety wooden chair and taking a seat at the end of the bed as Jensen ducked into the bathroom to grab two towels. Tossing one to Steve, the man quickly used it to soak up the blood. Jensen tossed the other one at Christian's crotch. This, Jensen suspected, was going to be a hard enough conversation without having to look at him in all his deflated glory.
A nod from Jared had Jensen leaning in to unbuckle the gag and tossing it off to the side. Kane rubbed his face on his arm, clearing away some of the strings of drool that had leaked out. He checked his jaw, flexing it before speaking.
"Jeez, Jay, is that you? Wow, thank God. I've had teams out looking for you. Almost given up hope of finding you."
His voice was clear, sincere but the cold blue eyes reflected none of the enthusiasm of his words. To date, Jensen had only had limited dealings with the man but already he could see a play being pulled. He walked back to where Jared sat, moving to stand behind him. His gun was still in his hand, ready should he need it. He glanced at Steve, but the man was still tending his nose.
Jared waited a long time before speaking but when he did, the voice was steady, "You know, once I might have believed you. Once. Back before I knew that you hired mercs to kill my parents. Jeff. Megan. Me."
"What? I never," Shock and outrage coloured Chris' tone as he struggled to sit forward, but the handcuffs held him fast. "Christ! Jay, why would I...? You were my brother, man. We were family. I'd never... Who's been filling your head with this shit, man?"
"What?" Jared huffed, flicking a glance at Jensen, "You don't recognise Winchester? You know, the guy you paid to kill me." He searched Christian's face for an answer but there was nothing. "Well, I suppose it has been three years."
"No, Jesus. I swear, Jay, I've never seen this guy before in my life. Fuck!" Christian scrambled on the bed, trying to sit up but all he succeeded in doing was scrunching up the sheets up under his feet. "You can't trust mercs. You should know that. They'll say whatever you pay 'em to say. Come on, lemme go and we'll use my contacts to track down who really hired the guy," he sounded desperate now.
Jensen forced himself to stay stoic, calm as he watched the act unfold.
"Sure," Jared shrugged, "lemme just let you go so you can save the price of the contract," he gripped his gun hard, fingers whitening under the pressure, "I've had three long years to get used to the facts, Christian. Three very long years of watching you play it up in front of the cameras. Hell, if I didn't know what you’d done, I would have bought it. Better actor than some of the vid stars out there."
"I don't know what..." Christian tried again.
"Cut the bullshit, Christian," Jared shouted then took a breath, forcing himself to keep his cool, "I'm not buying it. I just want some answers. Like why?"
"Jay, I..."
Jared brought the gun up and pulled the trigger, lightning quick. Feathers puffed up inches from Christian's inner thigh. He jumped, scrambling to get his back against the headboard. Thankfully, the towel stayed in place.
Josh slammed the door open, gun tracking for targets. He relaxed when he saw that nothing had happened. Jensen gestured to Josh, silently letting him know that everything was okay. Josh nodded and pulled the door closed as he returned to his post.
"My name is Jared. Only my friends call me Jay. You haven't been a friend of mine since the second you decided to killed my family," The words escaped through gritted teeth. Jensen could almost see the wire edge that Jared walked between betrayal and anger. "Why did you do it, Chris, was it money? The business? What the fuck was so goddamned important that you needed to kill them?"
Christian looked down and sighed, "Jesus, Jay..." He paused as the gun was brought to bear again, higher this time. Kane held his hands up as well as he could given the handcuffs, "Alright, Jared... It wasn't like it was personal."
Jared looked up at Jensen, a frown on his face, then looked back towards Christian.
"You ever see the books for the company?" Christian started, cutting Jared off before he could answer, "No, not the ones published in the Times, the real ones?"
Jared looked blank. They'd all seen the figures featured in both the Financial Times webfeed and the feature presentation on the local feeds. Jared had obsessed over them for weeks. Boy could probably recite them from memory.
Christian tilted his head to get a lock of hair out of his face, "Padalecki Microcybernetics clears at least ten times more than it publishes. Probably more when you count the shell companies and the hush deals. Each member of the board gets at least a quarter billion free and clear, every year. It's all under the table, of course. And the chairman? Well, he gets a lot more than that."
"You killed dad for money?" Jared looked shocked.
"No," Christian shook his head, "I killed Gerry for a whole hell of a lot of money."
"And mom?" Jared's voice was low and he was clearly dreading the answer.
"That was... unfortunate," Christian admitted, "I did tell them to spare her if they could, but apparently, she just couldn't keep her mouth closed. It never pays to piss off the man with the gun. Tragic really, but what could I do? She'd still be here now if she'd just let it happen."
"Let it happen?" Jared was on his feet, gesturing wildly with his gun, "You gunned down her husband. What was she supposed to do? Thank you?"
"Look, this is just the way things work in Dallas, Jay." Christian explained, "You gotta make opportunities for yourself. And sometimes people get caught in the crossfire. I liked your mom, hell, I liked your dad too, but I needed to get past the roadblocks."
"My parents were roadblocks? Roadblocks?" Jared kicked out at the chair, sending it crashing into a wall.
Jensen watched as Jared climbed to explosive rage.
"And Jeff, was he a roadblock or another accident?"
"Jeff? No, Jeff wasn't an accident," Christian admitted, "With Gerry dead, he was the heir apparent, logical one to take over," he shrugged again, "I just had to get him out of the way before I could volunteer to step in, help the rightful heir. You weren't a threat; a spoilt little rich boy who had no interest in the business. That was before you decided to let your guilt get the better of you and started shoving your nose in where it wasn't welcome. There's no place for sentiment in business, Jay, you should know that," Christian looked up, meeting Jared's eyes, "Look, I'm sorry it worked out how it did. Honestly, I thought it would be over when you ran off to be a merc," He smirked, "Oh yes, I know all about Winchester and Colt. If it had been up to me, I would have been happy to let you grub around in gutters with your...boy, but the board had different ideas. They wanted to keep a space for you on the board. No body so surely you must still be alive. We had a deal, you know? Three years. Three years, Jay, if you weren't back or dead in three years, the company was mine. But they wouldn't sign the papers. Not without a body. "
Jared was pacing now, walking back and forth along the end of the bed. He stopped, pointing his gun at Christian.
"I should kill you!"
Christian raised his chin defiantly, "Go on then. One, right between the eyes. It's not like I'm a moving target," he rattled the cuffs to illustrate his point, "One shot. One shot and you'll be set for life."
That threw Jared completely. He recoiled, stepping backwards. "That's not why I'm going to kill you."
"Of course not, but, well, it's a nice benefit, isn't it?"
"This isn't about money."
The gun was up, tilted slightly. Jared flexed his fingers, relaxing them, then tightening them again around the grip. Jensen was right behind him. Reaching out, he put his hand on Jared's back, trying to calm him down. Jared relaxed a little, settling against the warm hand on his back. Jensen saw Steve's eyebrow rise fractionally at the small movement.
"It's always about money. Doesn't matter what it is, it's always about money," Christian mocked, "Three years as a fucking merc and you still don't know that. I don't know what fairytales your pretty boy has been filling your head with. I hope he's better in the sack than he is as a teacher.”
Looked like Christian had caught the gesture too. Jared was hurting and it was taking every bit of restraint he had not to just shoot the smug bastard in the head.
The last comment had hit hard, he could feel the tension spread through Jared, locking the muscles. He pushed Jensen back, pointing a single finger at Christian, "Don't you even..."
"Come on, Jay. It's simple," Christian explained, "I pay someone money, they kill for me. I'm betting that you weren't your pretty boy's first wet job. Probably not even the tenth."
Jared wheeled, looking at Jensen with wide eyes. Jensen met his eyes briefly but couldn't hold the accusing gaze. Christian had hit a little close to the mark with that one. They'd never talked about it specifically, not in terms of numbers or anything but Jensen had never hidden the truth of what he was. You live your life on the street, working your way through the jobs, you have be prepared to kill. Someone pulled a gun on you out there, it came down to who wanted to go home that evening. Toughest lesson Jared had learned and Jensen had never been sure how well it had stuck. But Kane seemed to be picking at all the scabs stuck in Jared's psyche.
"He's probably forgotten how many people he's killed. And you? I saw the train wreck of a job you did last year. Blew the building, killed some city rats. How'd it feel killing them?"
"That was different, that was..."
"Different? An accident?" He prompted. "Oh but you didn't mean to kill them. Bullshit, Jay. You take a job, you know there's a possibility you're going to have to kill someone. Just like I did, in fact. The only difference is my price tag was a hell of a lot higher. You do it for a couple of thousand at a time. I'm it for billions. But at the end of the day, it's exactly the same. So don't talk about how fucking different it is to me, boy."
Jared was frozen in shock and part of Jensen just wanted to drag him out of the room and convince him that killing Kane was the right thing to do. One shot, right between the eyes and it’d be over. But, this was a conversation that was long overdue and he knew that if he was in Jared's shoes, he wouldn't thank anyone for interrupting. No matter how difficult it was to hear this shit.
"But you could have done it differently," Jared tried, "You could have talked to dad. You could have..."
Christian sighed, "I did talk to him and sure, he would have been happy to slot me in as VP or and MD of one of the other facilities, but he was saving the real jobs for you and Jeff," Christian's voice turned bitter as he looked down, "A family company, he said, needs a Padalecki at the helm. Bastard took me in out of pity, told me that to my face. I was legally part of the family thanks to that nice piece of paper but to that son of a bitch, I was just another employee. So I made my own opportunity. I did what I needed to so I could get ahead. If you want to kill me then go ahead, do it. Kill me. Make your daddy proud."
"I..." Jared didn't seem to know what to say. Until three years ago, Chris had been his brother, way Jared had described it to Jensen. They'd grown up together, gone to school together. His parents had always told him that Christian was every bit as much his brother as Jeff was. To hear that his father had... Jensen could see it eating at Jared.
"You haven't got the guts, do you?" Christian asked, shaking his head. He flicked a glance at Jensen before turning back to Jared, "Get your boy to do it. Shouldn't cost that much, not to the new CEO."
Jensen'd do it happily. Hell, he wouldn't even charge to put an asshole like Chris Kane down. It probably counted as a public service. He looked to Jared, watching for a signal. But there was nothing. Jared was looking at the floor now, reduced to the mess he had been for weeks after Jensen had brought him home; dwelling on what had happened, flitting between deep depression and fiery anger. And Jensen had to admit that he was worried about this whole situation, what the conversation with Kane was doing to Jared and what Jared would do next. Sure, Jensen would have his back whatever he did, but Jared didn't seem willing to do anything.
"Just say the word, get someone else to do the dirty work," Christian continued, "You see, the thing is, Jay, I fitted into your family a lot better than your precious daddy thought. I've always been wiling to do what needs to be done. If I were in your place right now? I would have pulled the trigger twenty minutes ago, as soon as I busted into this room. That's the difference between you and I, Jay. Business is my world," he strained to point at himself, "And sure, you'll take over. The board will welcome you back. You'll get the fancy office, the big pay check, but the second you slip up? They'll take you out, clean and simple. Just like I would. You think I'm bad, Jay, just wait until your first meeting with the board." Christian thumbed a finger at Steve, "You think I keep him around for the sex? Cause I love him?" He sneered, "No such thing as love in business, Jay. I keep a bodyguard with me because I have to. Same as you will, when you take over."
"How can you sleep with him?" Jared frowned at what Christian was saying, looking at Steve.
Steve just shrugged. His nose had mostly stopped bleeding, but he still dabbed at it. Jensen imagined that he wanted to be trapped in the middle of this argument just as much as Jensen did.
"You're okay with it?" Jared pushed at Steve, hoping for an answer but the answer didn't come from the blond bodyguard.
"He knew what this was before we started. He gets paid, handsomely paid in fact, to make sure my needs are met. If he lets me get killed, he loses his pay check."
"I can't... I..." he stopped, shaking his head, “You pay for it, Chris. That’s low. How long you think the cred’s gonna last? Until he gets a better offer?”
Jensen moved closer, reaching out to touch Jared, to let him know that he was there for him, but Jared brushed him off and turned so his back was to the bed, so he didn't have to look at Christian. Jensen could see the pain in his eyes.
"Kinda wish I was gonna be alive to see them eat you alive, Jay."
Jared's voice was soft when he spoke, tears in his eyes, "Take him out of here, Jen, take him out of here and dump him somewhere, middle of the desert, anywhere. I don't care. I don't want him in my city. And take the useless piece of shit beside him too. I need to..." he stopped, "I just gotta..."
Jensen could see that he was drowning. Reaching out again, Jensen put a hand on his arm.
"I got this, Jay. Get some air, yeah?"
Jared nodded and started towards the door.
"One coming out," Jensen spoke into the mic.
Josh dropped a hand on Jared's shoulder as he pushed past but Jared didn't stop, didn't even slow down, just tore the mic and receiver from his ear. Looking back at Jensen, Josh frowned. Jensen held up a hand, one finger up. Jensen wanted a moment on his own with these guys before anything else happened. Josh nodded and closed over the door.
Jensen moved slowly, deliberately to the foot of the bed and looked at the two men, shaking his head sadly.
"You know, I really wish that Jared had just walked in here and killed you," Jensen admitted, "Would have saved him a whole hell of a lot of pain."
Christian rolled his eyes, "The boy shouldn't have asked the questions if he wasn't ready to hear the answers."
"Were you born a bastard, or did you have to work at it?" Jensen asked, "How do we cancel the contracts?"
Christian just looked Jensen in the eye, mouth closed but quirked up at the corner.
"Face it, Kane, you lost the game. Accept it."
"I haven't lost anything yet. Jay told you to take me out and drop me in the middle of the desert. After all this, he still doesn't have the balls to kill me," Christian mocked, "So watch your back, Winchester because I'll be waiting for him to slip up."
Jensen nodded, lips pursed. "That's your last word on it?"
"Let's just get this done, I've got better things to do."
Jensen smirked, "Not anymore. Mav, two for pickup."
Kane’s eyes flicked from Jensen to the door, worry starting to creep into his face, “You won’t do this. You won’t. He’ll call you off at the last minute. He doesn’t have the guts!”
Jensen smiled coldly, “You see him in the room?”
Josh pushed his way into the room, a bundle of rope with him, his gun tucked away. Jensen moved over beside Steve, holding his gun on him as Josh uncuffed him. Steve dive-rolled to the side, knocking Jensen’s gun wide. Jensen cursed but swung the gun back in a vicious backhand that caught Steve across the nose. A sickening crunch and the blood started to flow again. Jensen grabbed his hair in one hand and slammed him facedown on the bed, holding him there while Josh hogtied him. Kane was easier to manoeuvre, but he still fought. A solid hit cut off the pleading whine and soon both men were secured.
Digging through Christian's bag of tricks, Jensen pulled out another ball gag and forced it between Steve's teeth as Josh did the same with Kane. Didn't hurt to take the precautions. So far, they hadn't had any hints that there was anyone watching but a scream at the wrong time could bring unwanted attention. It took little effort to hike them to the truck and toss them in the bed. The engine was already running and ready to go.
A hand on Josh's arm caught him before he jumped in. Jensen closed a hand over the mic of his earpiece, "Take him out to that place we camped out, you know?"
Josh nodded his understanding. The cave was one of their first hiding places back when they first started running in the Dallas sprawl. It was about thirty miles outside town, nice and secluded with no passing traffic.
"I don't want him coming back," Jensen whispered, "You understand?"
Josh frowned but nodded, "What about Jay?"
"This is my call. That bastard crawls back into the city, the first thing he's going to do is take Jay out. Can't let that happen," Jensen explained, "Head back to the camp when you're done. Ask Inez if she can see about cancelling the contracts."
"I'm on it. You going to be okay, bro?"
"Always the big brother, yeah? I'll be fine. It's Jay I'm worried about. I don't know if he was ready..."
Josh interrupted, "He needed to know why."
"Yeah, but..."
"Go take care of him. I got this."
Jensen smiled, "Thanks man. Tell momma I'll call as soon as I get things sorted."
"Will do," Josh said, "Take care of yourself."
Jensen nodded and stepped back, letting Josh step up into the cab of the beat down old pickup. Jensen watched as they pulled out of the lot. Pulling the room door closed, he checked in with Chad.
"You got the vid feeds?"
"Saved and editing now."
Jensen pulled the small cameras off the wall and clicked them off.
"I want it hitting every media station out there. I wanna make sure that if that bastard even sniffs his way back into the town, that he's pulled in by the cops and tossed in a nice six by six with some big guy called Bubba."
"You got it. Give me a couple of hours and I'll float it to you, yeah?"
Jensen could already hear Chad typing away furiously on his keyboard.
"That's fine. Winchester out."
Pulling the mic free, he stuffed it in his pocket. The job was done. Just the clean up left. But first, he needed to make sure that Jay was okay.
Next Chapter
Author name: deannawol
Artist name: grayscaled
Genre: RPS AU
Pairing: Jensen/Jared
Rating: NC-17 / R
Word count: 66,666
Warnings: Slash (M/M) relationship, oral sex, violence, language, angst .
Summary: J2 Cyberpunk AU; Three years ago, Christian Kane betrayed Jared Padalecki and killed most of his family. Mercenary Jensen Ackles saved him and his younger sister Megan and brought them to live with them out in the wilds of Texas. Jared's been training and is finally ready to take Kane on to win back his family's corporate empire. However, the course of true love never runs smoothly and in regaining what he's lost, he's put everything he loves in jeopardy, including his partner and lover, Jensen. A J2 Romance in a Cyberpunk AU setting.
Link to Fic Masterpost: Link
Link to Art Masterpost: Link
Previous Chapter
"Maverick, confirm eyes on target?" Jensen's earpiece echoed back his words a second before Josh answered.
"Confirmed Winchester, full visibility on the rear of the motel. Sniper confirms that he's sighted and loaded, ready for signal," Josh answered from his position staking out the back of the motel, Tom stretched out beside him in the back of the jeep, his rifle trained on the window.
Jensen turned to Jared and nodded, "We're just waiting on your signal, Colt. Whenever you're ready."
It had taken two weeks of hard planning to get to this point, but now, camped outside the Rolling Sixes motel, the comms were open and the adrenaline was running high. Jared tapped his hand against his leg, pacing slightly.
"Chad, you're sure it's him. No possibility it could be someone else?" Jared asked, scrubbing a hand through his shaggy hair.
"Chill, man, the Datameister is never wrong. He's in there with his bodyguard, arrived about an hour ago, booked for the night according to the charge on the card of one Mister C. Yabrowski. Where do these guys get all these fake cards? I mean I can hardly even qualify for the one I have, but at least it gives me loyalty points that I get to spend on cool gadgets that do..." Chad paused for a moment and there was the tapping of keys, "this."
Jared's phone pinged and a video file appeared. Jared tilted the phone so Jensen could see the screen and sure enough, there was Christian Kane sauntering up to Room 14 and opening the door, a bag over his shoulder and his blond bodyguard following along behind him, looking over his shoulder. Unmistakable.
Jensen covered his mic with his hand, giving them a sort of privacy, "Jay, I know this is huge to you, that you're starting to second guess yourself, but you gotta get your head in the game. This is just a run. This is just another bad guy that we're gonna take down. Nothing special about him. Nothing at all, yeah? This is just another job, gottit?"
Jared's eyes flicked from the screen to the room door to Jensen then back at the room door, "Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Just another job."
"We know the target is in the room with one other body. Minimal armour, minimal weaponry," Jensen spoke softly, "One main entrance that we're going in through, one secondary exit but that's covered by Mav and Sniper. We got everything covered that we can cover, all we gotta do now is kick the door in and hand him his ass."
Jared let his hand dip down, pulling his Colt Rampage handgun free of its holster and quickly checking the magazine. Fully loaded, as expected. Slamming the clip home, he racked the slide and flicked off the safety. He pulled the connection wire free and plugged it into the port. He closed his eyes as the display flashed to light, red crosshairs visible in the darkness the second he opened his eyes. Taking a deep breath, he glanced at Jensen.
"Lets do this!" Jared started towards the room door, "All units, be advised, we're about to bust this party wide open. Watch for any jumping rats."
Turning his head to the side, he smiled at Jensen, "You got the cameras?"
Jensen patted his pocket, feeling the two small wireless units in his pocket.
"Everything's good to go," Jensen confirmed.
"Alright then, lets do this," Jared smiled.
Jensen crouch-ran from his position across the parking lot, using the cars for cover. Black Impala to Red Buick to busted up Mustang, then stop and signal Jared forward. Hopskotching across the car park until they were pressed flat to the stucco wall either side of the door. Jensen nodded once to Jared, his handgun clutched tightly in his hand, wires connected to his forearm ports, heads-up display up and active. Everything green across the board. He was ready, beyond ready to get this done.
Jared held up three fingers and started the countdown.
Three.
Two.
One.
Jared moved quickly to stand in front of the door and with a solid kick, the door handle disintegrated into splinters and scrap metal, swinging wide to crash against the wall. Jensen swept in low, rushing into the room, gun forward and tracking for targets. There was a flash of blond and Jensen was moving. Running around the bed, Jensen skidded to a stop, his gun pressed tight against the throat of a crouching Steve Carlson.
"Twitch and you're dead!" his voice was low, dangerous.
Carlson froze, looking into cold green eyes and weighing up his options. Jensen shook his head. He watched the other man look at the gun and then back and finally he raised his hands. Jensen spared a glance in the direction that Steve had been reaching and saw a holster half covered by a pair of scruffy jeans. Kicking it back out of reach, Jensen hunkered down and picked up Carlson’s gun, tucking it in his waistband. He allowed himself to relax a little and take in the scene. Hunkered down between the bed and the wall Christian Kane's bodyguard was decked out in enough leather to cover any two cows. Black leather trousers, black leather shirt, gloves and a peaked leather cap decked out in silver chains. Little ostentatious, but very intimidating. Shame for him that he hadn't kept his gun a little closer, Jensen thought as he backed up a little, getting out of range. He gestured for Steve to stand and move towards the bed.
"You good, Colt?" Jensen asked, keeping his eyes trained on the target in front of him.
"Oh, I'm good. Really good," Jared answered, a laugh in his voice. "Mav, you wanna come 'round and see this? You’re not going to believe this. Sniper, dismantle and bring the truck round, yeah?"
Curiosity got the better of Jensen, he flicked a look over at Jared. He was staring at the bed, gun pointed at the figure there. Jensen returned his gaze to Steve watching the man carefully. His shoulders were slumped and he was settled down on his knees. Didn’t look like an immediate threat but Jensen was suspicious. Bodyguards like Carlson didn’t just fold that easily. Could be a ploy, could be a ruse to make Jensen back down just a little, enough to give him an opportunity. But Jensen wasn’t relaxing. Not with Jared potentially in the line of fire. He kept his gun trained on Steve as he faced the figure on the bed, thanking God and Padalecki Microcybernetics for the picture-in-picture option that came with his connectors.
It took him a second to realise what he was seeing there but when he did he could feel the laugh bubbling up inside until finally it busted free. There on the bed, handcuffed to the cheap plywood headboard, trussed up like a Thanksgiving turkey, gagged with a big red rubber ball and dressed in little more than a series of straps was the great Christian Kane. And scattered around him were various instruments of torture and, Jensen supposed, pleasure. If you thought that sort of thing was fun.
The man hadn't aged much, still built with the same long hair hanging down to just below his ears. His eyes followed Jared as he moved around the room, brow furrowed.
"Guys..." Chad's voice cut through the laughter, "Guys, ya kinda gotta let the rest of us in on the joke, yeah? Cameras? Remember the cameras?"
Jensen dug into his pocket and pulled out the two small cameras. He tossed one to Jared and placed the other on a wall, sticking it in place and thumbing the switch. A light flickered on the top and then turned a solid red.
"Should be transmitting now. You getting a signal?" Jensen asked.
"Second camera online now. You got them?" Jared asked.
"Just give me one min... I got them. Strong and clear and is that Kane in the... um... Nice straps?"
"Holy..." Josh whistled.
"Looks like the gang's all here!" Jensen leaned back against one of the walls, keeping himself out of the camera arcs. He flashed a smile to Jared, eyes crinkling around the edges. "Any time you're ready."
Christian Kane was theirs, and all without a single shot fired. Couldn't have asked for better. And with Chad recording everything... This was gonna be easy. Almost too easy and Jensen's hackles rose. Sure, this could be the end of it, but he wasn't taking any chances.
"Sniper is outside?" he asked Josh.
Josh just nodded, eyes still on Kane's rather exposed perversities. Jensen pushed past him, smacking him on the arm to snap him outta his haze. Tom stood beside the Jeep, eyes scanning the parking lot.
"Sniper, I want you watching the footpaths, the crossings, the road. Keep your eyes open for anything unusual," Jensen's voice was low as he spoke, "Black SUVs, trucks, anyone taking too much notice. Call it in. Doesn't matter if it's nothing. It makes the hair stand on the back of your neck, it makes you think 'that's odd', I want you on the mic, calling it in. You got that?"
Sniper nodded and moved slightly to give himself a slightly better position. Jensen patted him on the shoulder and made his way back inside.
"Mav, I want you backing up Sniper. Make sure no one comes into this room. You got that?"
"Gottit," Josh confirmed, "Stay safe, Winchester. They make a move, blast 'em!"
"Will do!"
Jensen pushed the door closed behind his brother. "Colt, this is all yours."
Jared dug through Christian's bag of tricks and pulled out a second set of handcuffs, tossing them to Jensen, "I think Steve would look good up on the bed beside Christian. If you'd do the honours?"
Testing the restraints, Jensen gestured for Steve to stand and turn. His chin rose and Jensen recognised the defiance in his eyes. Jensen kept his gun ready, just in case. He could see the twitch of muscles, the readying to strike and he lashed out, striking first. His gun smashed across Steve's cheek, glancing a blow to his nose hard enough to audibly break it. Steve cried out, staggering slightly. Blood flowed freely, running through Steve's fingers as he tried to pinch it off.
"On the bed," Jensen ordered, gun once again pointing at the other man.
Steve glared but sat on the bed. Jensen moved quickly snapping the handcuffs around one wrist and then securing them to the headboard. He wasn't happy about Steve still having a hand free but the broken nose would be enough to keep him busy. He quickly patted under the pillows and the sheets, checking for weaponry but came up empty. Jared was pulling up a rickety wooden chair and taking a seat at the end of the bed as Jensen ducked into the bathroom to grab two towels. Tossing one to Steve, the man quickly used it to soak up the blood. Jensen tossed the other one at Christian's crotch. This, Jensen suspected, was going to be a hard enough conversation without having to look at him in all his deflated glory.
A nod from Jared had Jensen leaning in to unbuckle the gag and tossing it off to the side. Kane rubbed his face on his arm, clearing away some of the strings of drool that had leaked out. He checked his jaw, flexing it before speaking.
"Jeez, Jay, is that you? Wow, thank God. I've had teams out looking for you. Almost given up hope of finding you."
His voice was clear, sincere but the cold blue eyes reflected none of the enthusiasm of his words. To date, Jensen had only had limited dealings with the man but already he could see a play being pulled. He walked back to where Jared sat, moving to stand behind him. His gun was still in his hand, ready should he need it. He glanced at Steve, but the man was still tending his nose.
Jared waited a long time before speaking but when he did, the voice was steady, "You know, once I might have believed you. Once. Back before I knew that you hired mercs to kill my parents. Jeff. Megan. Me."
"What? I never," Shock and outrage coloured Chris' tone as he struggled to sit forward, but the handcuffs held him fast. "Christ! Jay, why would I...? You were my brother, man. We were family. I'd never... Who's been filling your head with this shit, man?"
"What?" Jared huffed, flicking a glance at Jensen, "You don't recognise Winchester? You know, the guy you paid to kill me." He searched Christian's face for an answer but there was nothing. "Well, I suppose it has been three years."
"No, Jesus. I swear, Jay, I've never seen this guy before in my life. Fuck!" Christian scrambled on the bed, trying to sit up but all he succeeded in doing was scrunching up the sheets up under his feet. "You can't trust mercs. You should know that. They'll say whatever you pay 'em to say. Come on, lemme go and we'll use my contacts to track down who really hired the guy," he sounded desperate now.
Jensen forced himself to stay stoic, calm as he watched the act unfold.
"Sure," Jared shrugged, "lemme just let you go so you can save the price of the contract," he gripped his gun hard, fingers whitening under the pressure, "I've had three long years to get used to the facts, Christian. Three very long years of watching you play it up in front of the cameras. Hell, if I didn't know what you’d done, I would have bought it. Better actor than some of the vid stars out there."
"I don't know what..." Christian tried again.
"Cut the bullshit, Christian," Jared shouted then took a breath, forcing himself to keep his cool, "I'm not buying it. I just want some answers. Like why?"
"Jay, I..."
Jared brought the gun up and pulled the trigger, lightning quick. Feathers puffed up inches from Christian's inner thigh. He jumped, scrambling to get his back against the headboard. Thankfully, the towel stayed in place.
Josh slammed the door open, gun tracking for targets. He relaxed when he saw that nothing had happened. Jensen gestured to Josh, silently letting him know that everything was okay. Josh nodded and pulled the door closed as he returned to his post.
"My name is Jared. Only my friends call me Jay. You haven't been a friend of mine since the second you decided to killed my family," The words escaped through gritted teeth. Jensen could almost see the wire edge that Jared walked between betrayal and anger. "Why did you do it, Chris, was it money? The business? What the fuck was so goddamned important that you needed to kill them?"
Christian looked down and sighed, "Jesus, Jay..." He paused as the gun was brought to bear again, higher this time. Kane held his hands up as well as he could given the handcuffs, "Alright, Jared... It wasn't like it was personal."
Jared looked up at Jensen, a frown on his face, then looked back towards Christian.
"You ever see the books for the company?" Christian started, cutting Jared off before he could answer, "No, not the ones published in the Times, the real ones?"
Jared looked blank. They'd all seen the figures featured in both the Financial Times webfeed and the feature presentation on the local feeds. Jared had obsessed over them for weeks. Boy could probably recite them from memory.
Christian tilted his head to get a lock of hair out of his face, "Padalecki Microcybernetics clears at least ten times more than it publishes. Probably more when you count the shell companies and the hush deals. Each member of the board gets at least a quarter billion free and clear, every year. It's all under the table, of course. And the chairman? Well, he gets a lot more than that."
"You killed dad for money?" Jared looked shocked.
"No," Christian shook his head, "I killed Gerry for a whole hell of a lot of money."
"And mom?" Jared's voice was low and he was clearly dreading the answer.
"That was... unfortunate," Christian admitted, "I did tell them to spare her if they could, but apparently, she just couldn't keep her mouth closed. It never pays to piss off the man with the gun. Tragic really, but what could I do? She'd still be here now if she'd just let it happen."
"Let it happen?" Jared was on his feet, gesturing wildly with his gun, "You gunned down her husband. What was she supposed to do? Thank you?"
"Look, this is just the way things work in Dallas, Jay." Christian explained, "You gotta make opportunities for yourself. And sometimes people get caught in the crossfire. I liked your mom, hell, I liked your dad too, but I needed to get past the roadblocks."
"My parents were roadblocks? Roadblocks?" Jared kicked out at the chair, sending it crashing into a wall.
Jensen watched as Jared climbed to explosive rage.
"And Jeff, was he a roadblock or another accident?"
"Jeff? No, Jeff wasn't an accident," Christian admitted, "With Gerry dead, he was the heir apparent, logical one to take over," he shrugged again, "I just had to get him out of the way before I could volunteer to step in, help the rightful heir. You weren't a threat; a spoilt little rich boy who had no interest in the business. That was before you decided to let your guilt get the better of you and started shoving your nose in where it wasn't welcome. There's no place for sentiment in business, Jay, you should know that," Christian looked up, meeting Jared's eyes, "Look, I'm sorry it worked out how it did. Honestly, I thought it would be over when you ran off to be a merc," He smirked, "Oh yes, I know all about Winchester and Colt. If it had been up to me, I would have been happy to let you grub around in gutters with your...boy, but the board had different ideas. They wanted to keep a space for you on the board. No body so surely you must still be alive. We had a deal, you know? Three years. Three years, Jay, if you weren't back or dead in three years, the company was mine. But they wouldn't sign the papers. Not without a body. "
Jared was pacing now, walking back and forth along the end of the bed. He stopped, pointing his gun at Christian.
"I should kill you!"
Christian raised his chin defiantly, "Go on then. One, right between the eyes. It's not like I'm a moving target," he rattled the cuffs to illustrate his point, "One shot. One shot and you'll be set for life."
That threw Jared completely. He recoiled, stepping backwards. "That's not why I'm going to kill you."
"Of course not, but, well, it's a nice benefit, isn't it?"
"This isn't about money."
The gun was up, tilted slightly. Jared flexed his fingers, relaxing them, then tightening them again around the grip. Jensen was right behind him. Reaching out, he put his hand on Jared's back, trying to calm him down. Jared relaxed a little, settling against the warm hand on his back. Jensen saw Steve's eyebrow rise fractionally at the small movement.
"It's always about money. Doesn't matter what it is, it's always about money," Christian mocked, "Three years as a fucking merc and you still don't know that. I don't know what fairytales your pretty boy has been filling your head with. I hope he's better in the sack than he is as a teacher.”
Looked like Christian had caught the gesture too. Jared was hurting and it was taking every bit of restraint he had not to just shoot the smug bastard in the head.
The last comment had hit hard, he could feel the tension spread through Jared, locking the muscles. He pushed Jensen back, pointing a single finger at Christian, "Don't you even..."
"Come on, Jay. It's simple," Christian explained, "I pay someone money, they kill for me. I'm betting that you weren't your pretty boy's first wet job. Probably not even the tenth."
Jared wheeled, looking at Jensen with wide eyes. Jensen met his eyes briefly but couldn't hold the accusing gaze. Christian had hit a little close to the mark with that one. They'd never talked about it specifically, not in terms of numbers or anything but Jensen had never hidden the truth of what he was. You live your life on the street, working your way through the jobs, you have be prepared to kill. Someone pulled a gun on you out there, it came down to who wanted to go home that evening. Toughest lesson Jared had learned and Jensen had never been sure how well it had stuck. But Kane seemed to be picking at all the scabs stuck in Jared's psyche.
"He's probably forgotten how many people he's killed. And you? I saw the train wreck of a job you did last year. Blew the building, killed some city rats. How'd it feel killing them?"
"That was different, that was..."
"Different? An accident?" He prompted. "Oh but you didn't mean to kill them. Bullshit, Jay. You take a job, you know there's a possibility you're going to have to kill someone. Just like I did, in fact. The only difference is my price tag was a hell of a lot higher. You do it for a couple of thousand at a time. I'm it for billions. But at the end of the day, it's exactly the same. So don't talk about how fucking different it is to me, boy."
Jared was frozen in shock and part of Jensen just wanted to drag him out of the room and convince him that killing Kane was the right thing to do. One shot, right between the eyes and it’d be over. But, this was a conversation that was long overdue and he knew that if he was in Jared's shoes, he wouldn't thank anyone for interrupting. No matter how difficult it was to hear this shit.
"But you could have done it differently," Jared tried, "You could have talked to dad. You could have..."
Christian sighed, "I did talk to him and sure, he would have been happy to slot me in as VP or and MD of one of the other facilities, but he was saving the real jobs for you and Jeff," Christian's voice turned bitter as he looked down, "A family company, he said, needs a Padalecki at the helm. Bastard took me in out of pity, told me that to my face. I was legally part of the family thanks to that nice piece of paper but to that son of a bitch, I was just another employee. So I made my own opportunity. I did what I needed to so I could get ahead. If you want to kill me then go ahead, do it. Kill me. Make your daddy proud."
"I..." Jared didn't seem to know what to say. Until three years ago, Chris had been his brother, way Jared had described it to Jensen. They'd grown up together, gone to school together. His parents had always told him that Christian was every bit as much his brother as Jeff was. To hear that his father had... Jensen could see it eating at Jared.
"You haven't got the guts, do you?" Christian asked, shaking his head. He flicked a glance at Jensen before turning back to Jared, "Get your boy to do it. Shouldn't cost that much, not to the new CEO."
Jensen'd do it happily. Hell, he wouldn't even charge to put an asshole like Chris Kane down. It probably counted as a public service. He looked to Jared, watching for a signal. But there was nothing. Jared was looking at the floor now, reduced to the mess he had been for weeks after Jensen had brought him home; dwelling on what had happened, flitting between deep depression and fiery anger. And Jensen had to admit that he was worried about this whole situation, what the conversation with Kane was doing to Jared and what Jared would do next. Sure, Jensen would have his back whatever he did, but Jared didn't seem willing to do anything.
"Just say the word, get someone else to do the dirty work," Christian continued, "You see, the thing is, Jay, I fitted into your family a lot better than your precious daddy thought. I've always been wiling to do what needs to be done. If I were in your place right now? I would have pulled the trigger twenty minutes ago, as soon as I busted into this room. That's the difference between you and I, Jay. Business is my world," he strained to point at himself, "And sure, you'll take over. The board will welcome you back. You'll get the fancy office, the big pay check, but the second you slip up? They'll take you out, clean and simple. Just like I would. You think I'm bad, Jay, just wait until your first meeting with the board." Christian thumbed a finger at Steve, "You think I keep him around for the sex? Cause I love him?" He sneered, "No such thing as love in business, Jay. I keep a bodyguard with me because I have to. Same as you will, when you take over."
"How can you sleep with him?" Jared frowned at what Christian was saying, looking at Steve.
Steve just shrugged. His nose had mostly stopped bleeding, but he still dabbed at it. Jensen imagined that he wanted to be trapped in the middle of this argument just as much as Jensen did.
"You're okay with it?" Jared pushed at Steve, hoping for an answer but the answer didn't come from the blond bodyguard.
"He knew what this was before we started. He gets paid, handsomely paid in fact, to make sure my needs are met. If he lets me get killed, he loses his pay check."
"I can't... I..." he stopped, shaking his head, “You pay for it, Chris. That’s low. How long you think the cred’s gonna last? Until he gets a better offer?”
Jensen moved closer, reaching out to touch Jared, to let him know that he was there for him, but Jared brushed him off and turned so his back was to the bed, so he didn't have to look at Christian. Jensen could see the pain in his eyes.
"Kinda wish I was gonna be alive to see them eat you alive, Jay."
Jared's voice was soft when he spoke, tears in his eyes, "Take him out of here, Jen, take him out of here and dump him somewhere, middle of the desert, anywhere. I don't care. I don't want him in my city. And take the useless piece of shit beside him too. I need to..." he stopped, "I just gotta..."
Jensen could see that he was drowning. Reaching out again, Jensen put a hand on his arm.
"I got this, Jay. Get some air, yeah?"
Jared nodded and started towards the door.
"One coming out," Jensen spoke into the mic.
Josh dropped a hand on Jared's shoulder as he pushed past but Jared didn't stop, didn't even slow down, just tore the mic and receiver from his ear. Looking back at Jensen, Josh frowned. Jensen held up a hand, one finger up. Jensen wanted a moment on his own with these guys before anything else happened. Josh nodded and closed over the door.
Jensen moved slowly, deliberately to the foot of the bed and looked at the two men, shaking his head sadly.
"You know, I really wish that Jared had just walked in here and killed you," Jensen admitted, "Would have saved him a whole hell of a lot of pain."
Christian rolled his eyes, "The boy shouldn't have asked the questions if he wasn't ready to hear the answers."
"Were you born a bastard, or did you have to work at it?" Jensen asked, "How do we cancel the contracts?"
Christian just looked Jensen in the eye, mouth closed but quirked up at the corner.
"Face it, Kane, you lost the game. Accept it."
"I haven't lost anything yet. Jay told you to take me out and drop me in the middle of the desert. After all this, he still doesn't have the balls to kill me," Christian mocked, "So watch your back, Winchester because I'll be waiting for him to slip up."
Jensen nodded, lips pursed. "That's your last word on it?"
"Let's just get this done, I've got better things to do."
Jensen smirked, "Not anymore. Mav, two for pickup."
Kane’s eyes flicked from Jensen to the door, worry starting to creep into his face, “You won’t do this. You won’t. He’ll call you off at the last minute. He doesn’t have the guts!”
Jensen smiled coldly, “You see him in the room?”
Josh pushed his way into the room, a bundle of rope with him, his gun tucked away. Jensen moved over beside Steve, holding his gun on him as Josh uncuffed him. Steve dive-rolled to the side, knocking Jensen’s gun wide. Jensen cursed but swung the gun back in a vicious backhand that caught Steve across the nose. A sickening crunch and the blood started to flow again. Jensen grabbed his hair in one hand and slammed him facedown on the bed, holding him there while Josh hogtied him. Kane was easier to manoeuvre, but he still fought. A solid hit cut off the pleading whine and soon both men were secured.
Digging through Christian's bag of tricks, Jensen pulled out another ball gag and forced it between Steve's teeth as Josh did the same with Kane. Didn't hurt to take the precautions. So far, they hadn't had any hints that there was anyone watching but a scream at the wrong time could bring unwanted attention. It took little effort to hike them to the truck and toss them in the bed. The engine was already running and ready to go.
A hand on Josh's arm caught him before he jumped in. Jensen closed a hand over the mic of his earpiece, "Take him out to that place we camped out, you know?"
Josh nodded his understanding. The cave was one of their first hiding places back when they first started running in the Dallas sprawl. It was about thirty miles outside town, nice and secluded with no passing traffic.
"I don't want him coming back," Jensen whispered, "You understand?"
Josh frowned but nodded, "What about Jay?"
"This is my call. That bastard crawls back into the city, the first thing he's going to do is take Jay out. Can't let that happen," Jensen explained, "Head back to the camp when you're done. Ask Inez if she can see about cancelling the contracts."
"I'm on it. You going to be okay, bro?"
"Always the big brother, yeah? I'll be fine. It's Jay I'm worried about. I don't know if he was ready..."
Josh interrupted, "He needed to know why."
"Yeah, but..."
"Go take care of him. I got this."
Jensen smiled, "Thanks man. Tell momma I'll call as soon as I get things sorted."
"Will do," Josh said, "Take care of yourself."
Jensen nodded and stepped back, letting Josh step up into the cab of the beat down old pickup. Jensen watched as they pulled out of the lot. Pulling the room door closed, he checked in with Chad.
"You got the vid feeds?"
"Saved and editing now."
Jensen pulled the small cameras off the wall and clicked them off.
"I want it hitting every media station out there. I wanna make sure that if that bastard even sniffs his way back into the town, that he's pulled in by the cops and tossed in a nice six by six with some big guy called Bubba."
"You got it. Give me a couple of hours and I'll float it to you, yeah?"
Jensen could already hear Chad typing away furiously on his keyboard.
"That's fine. Winchester out."
Pulling the mic free, he stuffed it in his pocket. The job was done. Just the clean up left. But first, he needed to make sure that Jay was okay.
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