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"Witness Protection"Written By: Snowdragonct Disclaimer: Don't own any part of Gundam Wing
or the characters, more's the pity. This is for fun...no profit involved. Rating: R Warnings: Warnings: AU , yaoi, swearing (lots),
some OOC (probably), violence, drugs, sex, a naughty Duo (i.e. he
has a potty mouth and is a bit, er, slutty)…if you are wedded
to the “pure, chaste” version of Duo, he might be a bit
dark and crude for your taste…ditto for the other characters
in here…hey, Quat’s a lawyer…how much lower could he
get? Pairings: 1X2 eventually, 3X4 also eventually, (past 2X3, 6X2) A/N: I’ll apologize in advance that Zechs is, well, deceased right from the start. I like him a lot, and there’ll be mention of him…but mostly in the form of discussing/investigating his murder. Sorry. Summary: When Zechs Merquise is found murdered,
detectives Heero Yuy and Wufei Chang are tasked with the unenviable
chore of keeping the only witness to the crime alive long enough to
testify against the leader of the Oz syndicate, Treize Khushrenada. "Witness Protection" Chapter Thirty Seven: Trust As soon as I was certain our pursuers were finished and there were no more to take their place, I blew out a deep, relieved breath and had Wufei head the boat towards the cove where the garage with the ATVs was located. It was almost pitch dark by that time. Why did the bad guys never show up in daylight, when it would be easy to travel? As we neared the side of the lake where the ATVs were kept, I had Wufei gun the engine to build up speed and then kill it, to let the boat glide silently in to shore. There was no telling if there might be foot patrols this far from the lake house—but from now on, I’d leave nothing to chance. I was impressed by Maxwell’s innate ability to be silent when it was necessary. He didn’t say a word as we let the boat drift in. And once we’d hopped off and unloaded it, I shoved it back out onto the water, hoping the soft breezes and waves would carry it far enough to obscure our trail. We carried our gear to the garage and let ourselves in, using a tiny pen light to check gas gauges and oil in the vehicles. “We should be able to cover roughly eighty miles on a tank,” I whispered, keeping my voice low in case anyone might be prowling the area. “That will get us to a town or city where we can rent a car.” “Paper trail,” Wufei sighed, dusting off the seat of his chosen ATV. “Unavoidable.” “No, it’s not,” Duo spoke up, so close beside me I felt the brush of his bangs against my face. “If we head for Howard’s place, he’d loan us a car—no questions asked.” “He knows you,” I replied, keeping my voice down in spite of wanting to raise it to get my point across. “That’s worse than a paper trail.” “He’s an old, old friend,” Duo insisted. “I knew him years ago—back when I was with the Reapers. He hid me from cops plenty of times—bought me a meal when I was half-starved. He’s proven himself.” “Not to me!” The deep indigo eyes fixed me with a pleading look. “Won’t you at least trust my judgment about him? I know I fucked up calling Hilde—but that was different. She an’ I were never tight the way Howard an’ I are. Brothers. We’re like brothers. An’ I swear, he won’t fuck me over.” “You thought that about Hilde.” “I didn’t think at all!” Duo argued. “I was hurting and lonely and stupid. Okay? This time I’m not. Please, ‘Ro—give me another chance.” “I think,” Wufei said slowly, as if weighing each word, “that this time we can trust Duo’s judgment. He knows how serious our enemies are, and how rich. And if he believes this friend of his to be worthy of our trust, I’m willing to go along with him.” “You want us to put our lives in a complete stranger’s hands?” I asked incredulously. “He’s not a stranger,” Duo declared firmly. “Not to me.” I nearly groaned aloud. If I pulled rank on Chang and made a unilateral decision, I’d basically be placing less trust in Maxwell than Chang did. And that would hurt the man I loved—the man I wanted to protect, even from himself if necessary. For Christ’s sake—I trusted Duo with my heart—and he trusted me with his life. How could I insult his intelligence, question his judgment, and still expect him to love me back? The answer was simple; I couldn’t. Either I’d put my faith in him and my life in his hands, or I’d lose his affection; of that much I was certain. How could he love a man who didn’t trust him? While I was frozen there, debating, I felt Duo sigh deeply and pull away. “F’get it, Chang,” he said in a flat tone. “He’s not gonna get over my screw up with Hilde. Let’s just blow this pop stand an’ put some miles between us an’ Treize’s shooters, hm?” I caught his wrist as he started to turn. “Fine!” I bit out more sharply than I intended. “We’ll go to Greenville. But if you’re wrong, it’s all our lives.” He glanced over a shoulder, eyes half-lidded. “Y’think I’d take that chance? With your life? Or Chang’s?” I felt like an idiot, remembering how much he worried for those close to him. “Of course not—it’s just—my job. To worry, that is.” “And you’re real good at it,” he replied with a hint of humor that I hoped meant I was forgiven for my hesitation. “Time to go,” Wufei cut in curtly. We opened the garage as quietly as possible, grateful for doors that swung outward, rather than rolling sideways on a noisy track. There was still no sign of pursuit, but we paused and listened for a moment—reassured by the steady chirp of crickets and the occasional tree frog. “All this quiet won’t do us much good once we turn these things on,” Duo pointed out, pushing his ATV outside and tying on the duffel bag and backpack with rope we’d found in the shed. “That’s why we’ll have to rely on speed at first,” I sighed. “Hopefully the headlamps are bright enough to light the trail so we can make some time.” I gestured to Wufei. “You take point—Duo can follow—and I’ll bring up the rear.” Duo chuckled under his breath, and it must have just about killed him not to make the obvious comment about that last phrase. “Oh just fucking say it!” Wufei growled, pushing his machine out in front. Duo turned to me with a brilliant smile. “You can bring up my rear any time, Yuy!” I gaped, sputtered, and tried not to remember how incredible his rear felt—especially when I was buried in it. This was not the time for daydreaming or distractions. “Chang—why?” I demanded. “Because he’d have damned well exploded if I didn’t give him permission to let that out,” came the sharp reply. And was that a chuckle I heard just before Chang revved up the ATV and headed up the dirt trail? “He’s right,” Duo smirked, swinging a leg over the seat and firing up his own ride. And I followed suit, not liking the way the noisy engines blared in the stillness of the night. That noise could lead searchers right to us if we didn’t move fast. Chang set a grueling pace, leading the way up a steep, wooded trail leading in the general direction we wanted to go. While the headlights provided illumination for basic travel, they didn’t shine far enough ahead to let us make the kind of rapid progress I’d have liked. But that first hour, I’d have estimated we covered fifteen rugged miles. And then I caught a flicker of light up above the tree line and realized at once it couldn’t possibly be a star or high-flying aircraft. Since conversation was out of the question, I pulled around Duo, signaling a stop, and caught up to Chang, also gesturing to him. He pulled over unquestioningly. “Kill the lights and motors!” All three of us shut down our machines, and in the silence that followed heard the choppy sound of helicopter rotors. And they were getting closer. “Into the trees!” I urged, pushing my vehicle off the trail and under the spreading canopy of a tall pine tree. Chang and Maxwell followed suit, and the three of us crouched breathlessly in the shadows. The helicopter got closer and closer, flying so low it almost skimmed the treetops—and I caught sight of a search light making wide sweeps through the trees. “Fuck! Grab some branches,” I hissed at my companions. The three of us hastily gathered whatever fallen limbs we could find, tossing them over our ATVs for camouflage. Then we crawled under them ourselves, hunkering down as the first chopper was joined by a second and both cruised slowly over the valley we were hiding in. Duo had ducked in next to me, and I could feel a faint tremor as he pressed closer while the searchers closed in. “Are you okay?” I whispered. He nodded unconvincingly, and I put a hand to the back of his shoulder blade, feeling fresh blood seeping through his shirt and whatever bandage Winner had hastily applied. He flinched away from my touch, hissing under his breath. “’S okay, Yuy!” he insisted. “Bloody and sore—but it ain’t gonna kill me.” God, I wanted to get him somewhere safe! Somewhere I could find a bed for him, and tend to that fucking wound before it became infected. But at the moment, with helicopters hovering overhead, dragging the wilderness with search lights, that wasn’t an option. “You tell me if it gets worse—understand? Any lightheadedness, nausea, faintness—you tell me!” “Yes, mom,” came the sarcastic drawl. “Yuy!” Chang hissed from my other side. “Is that an FBI chopper?” “Looks and sounds right—but it’s too dark to make out any markings.” “Shit!” I had my own theory about this attack—it was too soon after Chang’s call to the precinct to be a coincidence. Someone had seen the number and traced the call—either someone in the department, or someone from the Feds. This was no independent hit—it was practically a full-scale military operation. If Duo was correct, and Khushrenada had men inside the Bureau, they could easily mount such an operation under the pretense that they were invading a crack house or going after dangerous fugitives. And whoever they might be, they weren’t above killing one of their own to ensure his silence. Clearly, we weren’t safe from anyone at this point. Duo moved restlessly, leaning more heavily against me, and I heard a deep sigh. “It’s been fun, Yuy, but maybe you should consider handing me over. If you an’ Chang are just gonna end up dead—.” “Shut up, Maxwell!” snapped my partner. “We are not ‘handing you over’ to anyone—not now—not ever!” “Look, Wuffers—.” “It’s not negotiable,” he said firmly. “We’re all in this together now—and so we’ll remain.” “Three fuckin’ Musketeers,” muttered Duo with a hint of weary amusement in his voice. The helicopters were circling—coming around for another pass, and we settled deeper under cover. “You’d be Porthos.” Duo continued rambling on, sounding as if maybe the pain was making him a bit spacey. “Pompous, but lovable—and honorable.” He flashed a cheeky grin at my partner. “I think I’d be Aramis—the slut of the bunch. An’ that’d make Heero Athos.” “Why not D’Artagnon?” I asked, half my attention focused on the helicopters and half on my lover. “D’Artagnon was a young, idealistic country boy,” Duo replied. “An’ none of us are like that.” He shifted position, hissing in pain. “Hell, Yuy—you and Chang are about as cynical as they come, and me? I was born jaded.” Well, you couldn’t argue with logic like that. “One for all,” Wufei whispered, shaking his head. “When the hell did you read ‘The Three Musketeers,’ Maxwell?” “At the orphanage. When I was a kid, they read it to us—an’ then when I went to help out, I started reading it to the new kids.” He sighed wearily. “Never figured I wouldn’t get to finish.” “Maybe you will,” I suggested carefully. “Maybe when this is all over—.” “Y’mean when I’m hiding out under an assumed name for the rest of my life?” Duo asked bitterly. “Somehow, I don’t think I’ll get to go back to finish the last chapter of a classic with the kids.” “I’ll do it for you,” Wufei spoke up suddenly, his tone firm. “I promise, Maxwell. I’ll tell the children why you couldn’t return to finish it, and I’ll do it myself.” There was a long, disbelieving pause, and then Duo laughed quietly. “Okay, Chang—but only if you promise to put some inflection in your voice and make it exciting.” “I’ll make it so exciting they’ll want fencing lessons when I’m done,” my partner assured him. Duo sighed deeply. “You’re okay, Chang.” “So are you.” The noise of the returning helicopters drowned out any attempt at conversation after that, and we crouched motionlessly under our makeshift cover as those sweeping lights pierced the darkness. I couldn’t believe they didn’t see us—the huge spotlights were so bright. It seemed inconceivable they didn’t pick up the red gleam of paint on the ATVs, or the glimmer of chestnut hair pressed up against my shoulder. But the choppers moved slowly off, their noise gradually receding into the distance. Chang stood up first, walking to the edge of the trail and listening intently with a hand cupped at his ear. “Anything?” “No. I think,” he hazarded, “they aren’t sure which direction we went, and are unable to search this wilderness effectively.” “We can only hope,” I sighed, standing and stretching. “C’mon. Let’s try to get out of their search pattern before they come back.” We rode for another hour before sighting the choppers again, and this time when we found shelter, we hunkered down and stayed put, deciding our best bet was to lay low until dawn, when we could travel faster and without lights. Chang and I made a sort of bed for Maxwell out of our duffel bags and jackets, even though he grumbled about being babied. But I noticed that didn’t keep him from falling promptly into a restless slumber, almost the minute he stretched out and put his head down. I took first watch, too wound up to even consider sleep. Armed with a rifle and flashlight, which I kept turned off, preferring to keep my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I walked up to a point of high ground to look for returning helicopters or the lights and movement that might indicate ground pursuit. Fortunately, our sprint across the lake seemed to have thrown them off. That, and the fact that Barton and Winner had set off on their decoy mission, was apparently enough to give us a healthy head start.
At some point in the middle of the night, I traded places with Chang, settling in next to Maxwell and resting my gun across my knees, while my partner went on sentry duty. Naturally Duo didn’t sleep well; he tossed and turned most of the night, muttering in his sleep and letting out small, distressed sounds from time to time. I found that whispering soothing reassurances and gently smoothing the messy bangs seemed to calm and quiet him, at least for a while. But I was still relieved to see the paling of the morning sky, and my returning partner. “Time to wake him,” Chang whispered, looking down at Maxwell with a protective gleam in his dark eyes. “How’d he sleep?” “Not very well.” He nodded sadly. “Guess he has even more fodder for nightmares these days.” I touched Duo lightly on the shoulder. “Time to get up, Maxwell. We’ve got some ground to cover today.” Our witness groaned, rolling to face me, and blinking sleepily awake. “Aw, fuck,” he mumbled. “Are we back to dodging bears again, Yuy?” “Something like that,” I admitted. “But I doubt they can keep up with an ATV.” “Sure hope not,” he groaned, stretching and wincing. “Ah—fuckin’ shoulder!” He twisted to look over his shoulder to the dried blood that was making his shirt adhere to his back. “Goddamn.” “We’ll find a place to take care of that,” I said firmly. “Once we get out of this wilderness and back to civilization, we can stop at a pharmacy or convenience store for bandages and ointment.” He nodded, tugging restlessly at his shirt, until Chang slapped his hand away. “Leave it, Maxwell. For now it’s not bleeding—if you pull the fabric away, it might take the bandage along with it and start it again.” “’S itchy.” “Deal with it,” my partner told him, with a tone that while scolding, lacked any malice. We got under way shortly thereafter, forging our own trail with the ATVs, since the part of the woods we were in appeared untouched by human feet. Thus, when we suddenly broke out of the thick underbrush to find ourselves at the edge of a narrow mountain road, we all came to a screeching halt. I pulled alongside Chang. “Shall we go on, or ditch the ATVs and walk from here?” He took out the map and we studied it for a few minutes, until we had a good idea where we were. “If we parallel this road,” my partner pointed out. “It will take us most of the way to Greenville.” He darted a look at Maxwell, raising an eyebrow. “How sure are you that this Howard fellow will have a car he’s willing to loan us?” “Positive.” We exchanged a look, and I nodded to Chang. “Let’s do it then.” I hoped I wouldn’t live to regret the decision. I was none too pleased at the idea of trusting another of Duo’s so-called “friends.” But I didn’t feel like I had much of a choice. And frankly, we needed a car sooner rather than later. It was mid-morning when we stashed the ATVs in a culvert beside the road, covering them with plenty of branches and camouflage until I could notify Winner where to pick them up. And yeah, I was being a raving optimist—assuming we’d be able to contact Winner, and assuming no one would discover the vehicles in the meantime. I wasn’t concerned about theft as much as the potential for our pursuers to find our discarded transportation and know which way we were headed. That’s why I resolved that we’d leave Greenville in the opposite direction from the one we intended to go. We could find that pharmacy I’d talked about, stop at a hotel, treat Maxwell’s injury, and get a night of rest before making the two-day drive up the coast to the circus property. Then, even if they knew where we’d come out of the woods, our enemies would get a false start in the wrong direction. “Suppose we’ll pass for campers to anyone driving by?” Chang asked me as we started out with backpacks on and duffel bags in hand. “Don’t see why not,” I shrugged. “From what I gleaned from maps and research, this part of the state is covered with state forests and campgrounds.” Duo looked around at the thick underbrush. “And bears,” he reminded us, looking less than thrilled to be on foot again. “I’ll protect you from the bears,” I promised, trying not to let my weariness show through. He mustered a grin that lacked its usual luster. “’Fei can always act as bait and lead ‘em off,” he suggested. “Got any granola bars, Wuffers?” “As a matter of fact,” Chang replied without missing a beat. “I think I put them all in your backpack.” Duo hiked his pack up a bit, adjusting the way it lay across his back, and trying not to wince as it hit the sore shoulder. “You would,” he groused teasingly. “Want me to carry your pack?” I offered, half-reaching to take the burden from him. Indigo eyes flashed a defiant look my way. “I can handle it, Yuy. It’s not so heavy.” “You’re hurt.” “Just a scratch. Can we get this show on the road?” “Sure we can, just as soon as you tuck that braid under your shirt again,” I reminded him. He obeyed without hesitation, muttering something under his breath about having gotten out of the habit since we’d been at the lake house.
We hiked until noontime, pausing once every hour or two for a drink of bottled water and a snack to keep our energy levels up. In that whole time only one or two cars passed us, for which I was eternally grateful. But the third passerby, in a beat-up pickup truck, slowed and stopped. “Fuck,” I muttered, keeping my dogged pace. The driver stuck his head out the window. “You three headed to Greenville?” It was Chang who came to the rescue, while I fought down rising tension at the fact that we’d attracted attention. “As a matter of fact, we are.” “Ya wanna throw your stuff in the back and climb in, it’ll save you a couple hours of walking.” We stopped beside the vehicle, and I took a minute to study the weathered face of the old farmer behind the wheel. He looked innocuous enough, with a battered straw hat shading grey eyes, complete with crow’s feet at the corners. A big red hound dog was sprawled across the passenger seat, apparently too lazy to sit up and bark at us. And in the back of the truck were several bags of what I guessed were animal feed, plus a couple of shovels, a roll of baling twine, and a bucket full of rags and assorted tools. “Sure we’ll fit?” Duo teased, giving one of those guileless smiles that just disarmed the hell out of anyone he met. The old man smiled. “If ya don’t mind sliding a couple of bags of corn around back there, y’all ought to fit fine. It ain’t fancy—but it beats the hell out of wastin’ shoe leather.” Chang gave me an almost imperceptible nod. “It would speed us on our way,” he said with a shrug. Either way, the man would remember three hikers he’d offered a ride to—so I tossed my duffel bag and the case with surveillance equipment into the truck bed and climbed over the tailgate. “Thanks!” Duo said brightly to the man, passing his stuff up to me, and then joining Chang and me in the back of the truck. The last ten miles sped by pleasantly, with the three of us bunched together amid the farm implements, our sweat drying in the cool breeze, and our feet comfortably propped up on feed sacks. When we pulled in at the Greenville General Store, I looked around in frank relief. The town was a speck on the map—far beneath the notice of Khushrenada or the FBI. And I thought the odds of them even stopping there to inquire after us were very small indeed. The farmer got out of his truck, accompanied by the red hound, and he came around to lower the tailgate for us. “Didn’t jostle you around too much, did I?” “Not at all,” Wufei assured him, hopping down and grabbing the first duffel bag. As I climbed down beside him, I realized the old man’s gaze was resting on the worn shoulder holster barely visible under the windbreaker my partner was wearing. Shit! Those faded grey eyes swept over the three of us once more, and I met them squarely. “Thank you very much for the ride, sir. Can we give you some gas money as thanks?” He paused, flicking a glance to Duo, who’d climbed out and was crouched down scratching the dog’s ears. “No need, young feller. I was headed here anyway.” Duo straightened and smiled warmly, though I winced at the sight of dried blood along the edge of his collar. “It was nice of you to stop for us,” he told the man, holding out a hand that was frankly quite filthy. With all the running, hiding, gathering of tree branches, and hard travel, all of us were the worse for wear. The farmer took Duo’s hand without batting an eye, and gave it a firm shake. “You’re very welcome.” “Hey, um—is there a mechanic in town named Howard?” Maxwell inquired. I darted him a disbelieving look. Did he not know better than to tell someone who we were looking for? The old man smiled widely. “You mean Howard Sweeper?” Duo nodded eagerly. “I know he moved out here—but I’m not sure where.” “Just go straight down Main Street and you’ll see Howard’s Garage. Can’t miss it.” He ran yet another too-discerning gaze over the three of us. “Howard’s a helluva mechanic.” “Yeah, he always was,” Duo agreed. “Thanks again for the ride.” “You tell Howard that Milt said ‘hey.’” “We’ll do that.” We gathered up our things and headed down the road, though I cast an anxious glance back, relieved to see the old man taking stuff out of his truck and heading inside the store, apparently having forgotten all about us. “Goddamnit, Duo!” I hissed in his ear. “Why didn’t you tell us you’d have to ask where to find your pal Howard?” He looked blankly at me. “Well how the hell was I supposed to know where to find his shop? It’s not like we wrote letters back and forth. I just knew he moved out here—to a little place called Greenville—and that’s it.” “And what if he’d moved on?” Chang asked, shaking his head. “Naw—Howard saved for years so he could buy himself a place and set up shop,” Duo said firmly. “I knew once he found a home, it’d be permanent.” I didn’t even bother scolding him for leading us on what might have been a wild goose chase. Frankly, even if Howard were no longer in town, we’d have had to come this way. Of course, procuring a car might have proven to be a lot harder—but then, I wasn’t convinced it was going to be easy anyway. What if Howard didn’t consider Duo and him as “tight” as Duo did? A nice woman at the garage told us Howard had taken off early. But after a little flirting from Maxwell, she wrote down the address of a nearby trailer park, described Howard’s trailer, and all but offered to take our protected witness out back for a “quickie.” How the fuck did he do that? I knew Chang would be sour-faced the rest of the day after Duo turned on the charm and melted the heart of the middle-aged receptionist. But frankly, we needed the information, and as long as my lover didn’t take the woman up on her near-offer, I didn’t much care how he got it. “You’re incorrigible, Maxwell,” sighed my partner as we walked away from the shop. “I’m encourageable, too,” Duo smirked back. “Wanna encourage me?” Wufei just rolled his eyes, and shook his head. “Not even if you were female.” “Oh, ouch.” I would have loved to slip an arm around Duo’s waist and assure him I liked him just the way he was—all male. But, well, that would have been beyond stupid. And speaking of stupid, I hoped our rendezvous with Duo’s old friend wasn’t a very bad idea. As we approached the address the woman had provided, my serious misgivings returned with a vengeance. The trailer park was a run-down place, many of the homes looking abandoned or at least in serious disrepair. It did nothing to assuage my fears. What if Khushrenada had gotten to this Howard fellow, like he did Hilde? Clearly the man needed money if he was living in a place like this. How were we to know he wouldn’t sell out a friend to get it? “Trust me, Heero,” Duo whispered, as if reading my thoughts yet again. “Howard’s not money-hungry. He lives here by choice—not necessity.” “Why would anyone live here by choice?” Wufei asked in complete bafflement. “It’s peaceful—quiet. And door-to-door salesmen stay the hell away,” Duo replied with a bit of humor. “Plus—Howard made a few enemies back in the city—people he’d like to never see again. He was too damned honest for his own good.” “Honest or not,” I said firmly. “If we ask him for help, I have a couple of conditions. First, you promise we stay only long enough to borrow the car. And second, we don’t say which way we’re headed or where we’re going.” “But I haven’t seen Howie since—.” “Duo, no!” I said sternly. “You are not here to catch up on old times. We need transportation, and we need to keep moving. You can chit-chat some other time.” He sighed in frustration, and then nodded. “Have it your way,” he muttered rather sullenly. “Y’mind if I ask to use the john at least?” “That’s all,” I said firmly. “Yes, sir,” came the seriously sarcastic reply. We left our backpacks and duffel bags outside the little picket fence surrounding a trailer that looked to be in better shape than most, and entered through the gate. I pulled my gun, letting it hang unobtrusively behind one hip, and noticing my partner did the same, as Maxwell climbed the steps and knocked on the door. “Hey—Howie! Open up!” he said loudly. I tried to “shush” him with a gesture, but he shook his head. “Gotta holler to him, man—so he knows it ain’t a bill collector.” He grinned and turned back to pound on the door yet again. “Howie-baby! C’mon! It’s me! You said I was the ‘prettiest piece of ass’ to ever take it all off on a stage!” The door was yanked sharply open, and a whiskered man wearing a wild Hawaiin print shirt and dark sunglasses stood framed in the doorway. “Shush, Maxwell! People will hear you!” “And—?” Duo asked with a smirk. “They’ll get the wrong idea!” “’Course they will,” Duo shrugged with a wide, unapologetic grin. “That’s why you better let me in real quick.” The old man pulled the sunglasses down his nose and peered over them. “Shit—it really is you, kid.” Then he gave a sort of horrified gasp. “You cut off the braid?” “Aw, hell no!” Duo assured him, pulling the chestnut rope out from under his shirt. “You know me better than that, Howie.” The whiskered man nodded, sighing in apparent relief, and then his gaze slid past Maxwell to fix on Chang and me. “Who’re your ‘friends’?” “This is ‘Ro and that’s Wuffers—my bodyguards.” “Bodyguards?” Howard chuckled at that. “I know you think you’re hot stuff—but since when have you needed bodyguards?” “What—you think I don’t have that many admirers?” Duo chided. “I gotta fight ‘em off, Howie.” The old man snorted wryly. “In yer dreams, maybe. C’mon in and set a spell,” he invited, turning around to lead the way. “An’ fellas—,” he shot back over his shoulder. “You can put the pieces away. Duo’s safe with me—I’m not into boys—‘specially ones young enough to be my kid.” Maxwell entered without hesitation, and Chang and I were close on his heels, wary of a trap. But it would have been damn near impossible to set up even the simplest ambush in Howard’s cluttered trailer. Boxes were stacked from floor to ceiling along the walls, and furniture was tucked in among piles of machinery, car parts, and other miscellaneous junk. Duo looked around and grinned. “Aw, Howie—nice place! Way better than that last heap you lived in.” Wufei’s jaw dropped and I could only imagine the effort it took for him to remain silent. “Thanks,” Howard said, beaming with pride. “I got a few more things to get rid of—but I wanna fix ‘em first—get ‘em running, before I try an’ sell ‘em.” “Ah, what exactly do you sell?” Wufei asked coolly, his dark eyes raking our surroundings with a critical glare. “Cars, bikes, washers, dryers…pretty much anything with an engine.” “Don’t forget planes,” Duo cut in. “You made that crop duster fly like a bird, remember?” Howard chuckled. “Yeah—like a big, fat turkey. God, Duo, that thing had no maneuverability at all!” “But it flew,” Duo persisted. He threw an arm across the old man’s shoulders, turning to face us. “Guys—Howard here is the best mechanic this side of the Mississippi. An’ I guarantee he’ll fix us up with a car.” “No problem,” came the unhesitating reply. “Ya want a drink?” “No!” I said quickly, giving Duo a stern glare. “Um, Mister—er—Howard, we really are on a tight schedule. If we could just talk about the loan of a car?” I pulled my wallet from my pocket. “We’d be happy to pay a rental fee.” The old man’s face turned stony at that, and he gave Duo a sidelong glance. “Who the hell are these two, kid? And what makes ’em think I’d accept money from you? Are you with them voluntarily?” I gaped at him. He thought we were kidnapping Duo? Maxwell chuckled. “More or less, Howie,” he said in a placating tone. “Honestly, they are protecting me…apparently even from you.” He turned toward the whiskered man, and his face turned serious. “I can’t tell you a lot right now—but we lost our transportation, and it’s really important for us to keep moving.” Howard searched his face warily. “You in trouble?” “We have to get somewhere,” I cut in quickly, not wanting the old man to get the idea we were being chased. If he knew that much, he might wonder who was chasing us and why—and I just didn’t like where that could all lead. The old man didn’t even glance at me. “I’m talking to Duo,” he said curtly. “Not you. Talk t’me, kid.” “I—can’t,” Duo admitted, ducking his head in embarrassment. “Well, then, it ain’t police after you—cuz you’d tell me that. Hell, you’d brag about it.” Howard shook his head, sighing, and fished in his pocket, pressing a set of keys into Duo’s hand. “I dunno what kinda trouble you’re in—that you can’t even tell me about. But if you won’t stay for a drink or a bite to eat, you must really be hip-deep in it.” “I am,” Duo admitted. He fiddled with the keys for a moment. “Y’mind if I use the john while I’m here?” “Go right ahead,” Howard offered, pointing to a door beside the tiny kitchen. “Through there.” Duo disappeared into the bathroom, and Howard fixed a suspicious look on Wufei and me. “You two are protecting him?” I nodded. “From what?” “Anyone and everyone,” Chang replied vaguely. Howard scowled fiercely. “Fine! Be tight-lipped about it! But I’m warning you right now, you let anything happen to that boy, and I’ll pull every string I can—call in every favor ever owed me—to track you both down.” I fixed a menacing look on him. “That works both ways,” I said coldly. “If anyone finds out we were here, and I even suspect you told them anything, I’ll be back to take your life apart piece by piece.” I couldn’t tell if the look he gave me was colder or warmer—but he gave a curt nod just as Duo came back out of the bathroom. “Ready to go,” said the braided man, tossing the keys up and catching them. “What’s your car look like, Howie?” “Blue Chevy—parked out by the mailbox. Tank’s full. And don’t worry about returning it in any hurry.” Duo nodded, his expression turning rather uncomfortable. “I’m sorry I can’t stay for that drink, Howie. I’d have loved to catch up with you.” Howard flicked a glance my way, and put a hand on Duo’s shoulder. “’S okay, kid. We can reminisce some other time.” “Yeah, sure,” he said without much conviction. The old man pulled Duo into a quick hug, before pushing him back to arm’s length. “Whatever you’re running from, kid, you came to the right place.” His gaze searched Duo’s pale face. “Anything else you need?” Maxwell shook his head. “Just—your silence,” he said in a near-whisper. “If anyone shows up to ask—.” “I haven’t seen you in years, kid,” Howard assured him. He showed us to the door, leaning in it to watch us go, and I felt a little guilty for my suspicions, as we headed for the car he’d so freely loaned us. “I told you Howard was good people,” Duo insisted. “He seems that way,” I admitted. “In fact, he seems a bit too good to be true.” Maxwell turned a disbelieving look towards me. “Jesus, Yuy! Don’t you ever let up? The man fuckin’ handed me his car keys without batting an eye—and you still doubt him?” “I have to,” I argued reasonably. “I have to ask myself what would happen if Khushrenada’s people showed up here and started asking questions.” “He’d tell ‘em he hasn’t seen me in years,” Duo said stubbornly. “And if they waved fifty grand under his nose?” “He’d tell ‘em to fuckin’ shove it, before he’d sell out a friend!” came the heated reply. We’d reached the Chevy by that time, and I breathed a small sigh of relief. It was a nondescript vehicle, but appeared to be in good repair. “Keys.” I held my hand out expectantly. Maxwell stopped in his tracks, glaring at me. “I don’t even get to drive?” he demanded. “No.” I wiggled my fingers impatiently. He shoved the keys into my hand, muttering a curse under his breath, and then folding his arms across his chest. “You’re wounded,” I reminded him. “I want you to rest.” Chang busied himself stuffing our luggage in the trunk, while Duo climbed in the back seat, letting out a delighted yelp when he found a forgotten pack of cigarettes. As I pulled out of the driveway, Howard was still standing on the steps of his trailer, watching us. I could practically hear his warning echoing in my ears—what he’d do if we let anything happen to Duo. And I hoped he meant every word of it. I hoped that Duo had yet another friend as loyal as
Barton. And not just because of the trouble it would cause if he wasn’t;
but because I never wanted to see the same kind of pain on Duo’s
face that I’d seen when he realized Hilde sold him out. I wanted
to believe Howard was made of sterner stuff. But then, only time would
tell.
tbc... |
