Double Bluff: Chapter 2
<----- Back to Chapter 1
Chapter 2: If I Didn’t Have Bad Luck, I’d Have No Luck at All
He didn't make it on time of course. He couldn’t be sure what line of dominoes had been set off, but he figured Trip must have talked to his boss, or Rafferty must have shown up scant minutes later than Tony had at the house. Something must have changed the plan. All he knew that day was that he was too late to save Kelly's mom. As he pulled up at the rendezvous point, he was barely in time to see a pretty red-headed woman just closing the door as she got into the back of the black SUV. A black SUV that had agents standing with studied casualness a short, but telling, distance away from it. Before he could turn off his car, the SUV exploded in a ball of fire. Tony watched as the agents dove for cover just in time to miss being caught in the blast.
Fuck, there is no way they didn't know that explosion was coming, Tony thought as he desperately reviewed his options. And there was no chance the red-haired lady had survived. Dammit. He yanked the steering wheel around and crashed over a curb pulling out of the parking lot. He didn't know where he could go to keep Kelly safe, but here just wasn't an option.
Any hope he had that Kelly hadn't seen her mom getting into the van before the explosion was eradicated as a wail of anguish came from behind him.
"MOMMY! Mommmmy!" He had to get somewhere safe as soon as possible. There was no way he could even start to try and calm Kelly down while driving. His heart-beat pounding loud in his his head, he searched his mind desperately for somewhere he could go. Not back to the office: there were at least four Marshals in on this, plus his boss. There was no telling who he could trust in his department.
He had to assume that Kelly was still in danger. Her mother had probably been the larger threat to whoever was orchestrating all this, but Kelly was old enough that if she'd seen whatever her mother had seen, she would be considered a loose end.... Oh shit, Tony was now a loose end. He'd seen too much by far. No, the office wasn't going to cut it as far as safe places went.
The surreal feeling of being the star in the action movie of the week didn't in any way diminish as he realized there was a car tailing them.
"Princess, Kelly, please stop yelling." He pleaded with Kelly as he tried to remember if there were any really convenient alleys to ditch a tail in this part of town. Oh god, what could he possibly say to her? There was nothing that would make what had just happened anything less than terrifying and devastating. But the yelling really wasn't helping his ability to concentrate on getting them both out of this alive.
"Kelly! See that black car behind us?" Tony tossed out desperately, "I need you to tell me if it gets any closer to us. It's really important. We're not safe right now. We need to get rid of that car so we can be safe." The little girl looked at him through the rear-view mirror with terror painted on her face and suddenly clamped her mouth shut. Half lifting herself up on one arm, she twisted in her seat to watch the car behind them.
"They're getting closer! Go faster!" Her voice trembled with fear and rang with command in equal parts.
"Can do, sweetheart." Tony finally spotted the alley he wanted and flipped the car into a turn that probably had it up on two wheels at some point as he changed course faster than the pursuing car could react. Powering down the alley, he shot into a parking garage on the other end, pulling through a few floors and going out the little used side exit he remembered from getting lost in this same garage once. Lucky he’d gotten lost that time, it was going to save his and Kelly’s lives this time.
Kelly was nearly silent behind him, only the occasional half choked sob could be heard.
Okay, first things first, lose the tail. Done. Next things next... ditch the government-issue car and find somewhere safe to be. Who did he know that would hide him and a small child for however long it took to figure out how much of a corrupt conspiracy his department was? Preferably someone that knew more about comforting small children than Tony did. Who did he know that had resources and could get him out of the state if need be?
Think, Anthony, think. There was no one at the department who wouldn’t go directly to his boss. He didn’t have family in town, or much at all. His former mentor had just bugged out to Florida retirement. Fuck.
“Fuck, fuck, fuck!” Tony muttered under this breath. Bright eyes caught his accusingly in the mirror.
“Sorry, Princess. I’m just a little... worried right now.” Shit, he really had to watch his language. Not that that should even register on his list of things to worry about right now. Clenching his teeth, he struggled to restrain the sudden burst of hysterical laughter that threatened to escape. There was a child in the back seat of his car, they were running from god only knows who, to god only knew where, for reasons he didn’t fully know but he could guess at. And he was ‘a little worried?’ and worried about his language of all things? Oh yeah, he was doing really well taking care of this kid already.
The weight of Kelly’s gaze via the mirror didn’t lessen any as he pondered options. Well now he knew why no one ever believed he was good at his job, here he was, a US Marshal, going mildly nuts over having to deal with being a fugitive and taking care of a kid at the same time. Give him either one, and he was sure it wouldn’t be too much, both together though... there was no one he knew that could handle- Abby! Abby always knew what to do, particularly when it involved convoluted plans and/ or small children. Better still, no one he worked with even knew that he knew Abby. Tony looked up and met Kelly’s gaze.
“It’s okay, Princess, I have a plan.” Now he just had to get them to Abby’s without anyone finding them. Right. Literally, the small snarky slightly hysterical voice in his head thought as he turned the car in the direction of the nearest entrance ramp to 495. He could do this, one save at a time.
Chapter 3----->
Chapter 2: If I Didn’t Have Bad Luck, I’d Have No Luck at All
He didn't make it on time of course. He couldn’t be sure what line of dominoes had been set off, but he figured Trip must have talked to his boss, or Rafferty must have shown up scant minutes later than Tony had at the house. Something must have changed the plan. All he knew that day was that he was too late to save Kelly's mom. As he pulled up at the rendezvous point, he was barely in time to see a pretty red-headed woman just closing the door as she got into the back of the black SUV. A black SUV that had agents standing with studied casualness a short, but telling, distance away from it. Before he could turn off his car, the SUV exploded in a ball of fire. Tony watched as the agents dove for cover just in time to miss being caught in the blast.
Fuck, there is no way they didn't know that explosion was coming, Tony thought as he desperately reviewed his options. And there was no chance the red-haired lady had survived. Dammit. He yanked the steering wheel around and crashed over a curb pulling out of the parking lot. He didn't know where he could go to keep Kelly safe, but here just wasn't an option.
Any hope he had that Kelly hadn't seen her mom getting into the van before the explosion was eradicated as a wail of anguish came from behind him.
"MOMMY! Mommmmy!" He had to get somewhere safe as soon as possible. There was no way he could even start to try and calm Kelly down while driving. His heart-beat pounding loud in his his head, he searched his mind desperately for somewhere he could go. Not back to the office: there were at least four Marshals in on this, plus his boss. There was no telling who he could trust in his department.
He had to assume that Kelly was still in danger. Her mother had probably been the larger threat to whoever was orchestrating all this, but Kelly was old enough that if she'd seen whatever her mother had seen, she would be considered a loose end.... Oh shit, Tony was now a loose end. He'd seen too much by far. No, the office wasn't going to cut it as far as safe places went.
The surreal feeling of being the star in the action movie of the week didn't in any way diminish as he realized there was a car tailing them.
"Princess, Kelly, please stop yelling." He pleaded with Kelly as he tried to remember if there were any really convenient alleys to ditch a tail in this part of town. Oh god, what could he possibly say to her? There was nothing that would make what had just happened anything less than terrifying and devastating. But the yelling really wasn't helping his ability to concentrate on getting them both out of this alive.
"Kelly! See that black car behind us?" Tony tossed out desperately, "I need you to tell me if it gets any closer to us. It's really important. We're not safe right now. We need to get rid of that car so we can be safe." The little girl looked at him through the rear-view mirror with terror painted on her face and suddenly clamped her mouth shut. Half lifting herself up on one arm, she twisted in her seat to watch the car behind them.
"They're getting closer! Go faster!" Her voice trembled with fear and rang with command in equal parts.
"Can do, sweetheart." Tony finally spotted the alley he wanted and flipped the car into a turn that probably had it up on two wheels at some point as he changed course faster than the pursuing car could react. Powering down the alley, he shot into a parking garage on the other end, pulling through a few floors and going out the little used side exit he remembered from getting lost in this same garage once. Lucky he’d gotten lost that time, it was going to save his and Kelly’s lives this time.
Kelly was nearly silent behind him, only the occasional half choked sob could be heard.
Okay, first things first, lose the tail. Done. Next things next... ditch the government-issue car and find somewhere safe to be. Who did he know that would hide him and a small child for however long it took to figure out how much of a corrupt conspiracy his department was? Preferably someone that knew more about comforting small children than Tony did. Who did he know that had resources and could get him out of the state if need be?
Think, Anthony, think. There was no one at the department who wouldn’t go directly to his boss. He didn’t have family in town, or much at all. His former mentor had just bugged out to Florida retirement. Fuck.
“Fuck, fuck, fuck!” Tony muttered under this breath. Bright eyes caught his accusingly in the mirror.
“Sorry, Princess. I’m just a little... worried right now.” Shit, he really had to watch his language. Not that that should even register on his list of things to worry about right now. Clenching his teeth, he struggled to restrain the sudden burst of hysterical laughter that threatened to escape. There was a child in the back seat of his car, they were running from god only knows who, to god only knew where, for reasons he didn’t fully know but he could guess at. And he was ‘a little worried?’ and worried about his language of all things? Oh yeah, he was doing really well taking care of this kid already.
The weight of Kelly’s gaze via the mirror didn’t lessen any as he pondered options. Well now he knew why no one ever believed he was good at his job, here he was, a US Marshal, going mildly nuts over having to deal with being a fugitive and taking care of a kid at the same time. Give him either one, and he was sure it wouldn’t be too much, both together though... there was no one he knew that could handle- Abby! Abby always knew what to do, particularly when it involved convoluted plans and/ or small children. Better still, no one he worked with even knew that he knew Abby. Tony looked up and met Kelly’s gaze.
“It’s okay, Princess, I have a plan.” Now he just had to get them to Abby’s without anyone finding them. Right. Literally, the small snarky slightly hysterical voice in his head thought as he turned the car in the direction of the nearest entrance ramp to 495. He could do this, one save at a time.
Chapter 3----->