The Rescue Pt. 01

We begin driving out of airport and onto the Moroccan streets when he begins to talk. "Heard some talk about you Grayson. Marine's talk about you like you're some sort of legend."

"Probably some other Grayson," I tell him with a slight smirk.

"Nah, it's you. I mean who else would fly half way around the world to this cluster fuck of a country to try to find the remains of his friend. I'll tell you, who, the same frogman who gave up his seat on his extraction chopper to wounded Marines and then walked his ass back to his base, twenty klicks from where he was."

"How do you know what I'm doing here?" I ask.

"I told Kortesis if he wanted my help, I wanted to know why you were here," He says. "You're friend there talks a little too much, if you ask me."

"I didn't, so let's cut the bullshit Trent and you tell me what it is that you want from me?"

"What makes you think I want anything?"

"Because you're here."

"Simple as that, huh?"

"Simple as that," I echo. "I've worked with you guys before and you don't take a piss without it being for some nefarious purpose."

"Nefarious purpose, I love that," He says. "Think I'll see if I can get that on a coffee mug somewhere." I wait for him to continue. "I'll tell you what Grayson, why don't we enjoy this nice little ride back to the embassy and we'll go up to my office and we'll see about what it is I want from you and just how much help I can be in recovering your friend."

I nod knowing I have no real choice in the matter.

We arrive at the American Embassy and head down into Trent's basement office.

"Nice place," I say looking around the dreary surroundings. "It suits you."

"I call it home," He says. "Cigar? Scotch?"

"No thanks. I'm kinda in a rush."

"Straight to business then. All right," He pulls a file from his desktop drawer and hands it to me. I open it and look at the picture inside.

"That is one Senghor Ballo, leader of that militia movement currently going on in Senegal," He begins. "My intel tells me that he is currently at this aid station you want to go to. Decided to make it his current headquarters for the time being, it seems."

"Fresh water supply, only one road going in so it's easily defendable, I can see why he likes it," I say wondering where all this is leading.

"Done your homework I see. I like that Grayson. Anyway, since you are going there anyway, we'd like you to retire him while you're there. He's made the wrong kind of friends."

Retire is the C.I.A's current polite way of telling you that want you to kill someone. They think it makes them sound classier than say some tinplate dictator or the mafia but it doesn't.

"I'm not some assassin for hire, Trent. If you want a trigger puller why don't you guys send your own people in or use one of those merc groups you guys are so fond?" I ask him.

"You sure about that Grayson," He asks. He turns on his laptop and after a few keystrokes turns it towards me. "I don't think you've got all the facts you imagine you do, my friend."

On the screen I see Michelle, very much alive and in what looks like some sort of holding cell. There's a man in the cell with her, holding her up so the camera can see her clearly. It's the same man in the photo. "Ballo."

"The bids must be in no later than tomorrow morning. Remember to bid high gentlemen for this unspoiled beauty," He states running his hand over her face. "Her skin is as smooth as the finest silk."

Michelle jerks away from his touch and spits in his face. For a brief moment, I'm proud that she still has fight left in her, a lot of people in her situation wouldn't. He wipes her spittle from his face, looks at the camera and smiles an unnerving smile. With the speed of a striking snake he lashes out with a backhand that catches Michelle across her cheek. The impact is picked up by the camera's microphone and it knots my stomach. She bounces off the wall before crumpling to the ground with a groan. My hands clench into fists turning my knuckles white as I watch helplessly.

Ballo speaks. "As you can see, she is a spirited one but she can be broken," He states as he reaches down and pulls her up by her hair as she struggles against him. "And as you're all very much aware, breaking them is half the fun."

His laughing face fades as the screen goes black.

"Ready to work with me now," Trent asks. I turn and see the smirk he's wearing on his smug face.

"Where is she?" I ask through gritted teeth.

"You want to know where she's being held, then you do the job," He says. Without a thought, I grab him by his shoulders, slam him against the wall and pull my knife that I always keep with me from behind my back. With him pinned against the wall I put my blade up to his jugular with just a bit of pressure.

"You tell me right now where she is or so help me, I will kill you."

"Damn, you're still fast, I'll give you that but I don't think you can dodge a bullet," He taps his gun barrel to my stomach letting me know it's there. I glance down and give him a smile.

"Think you can flip off that safety and fire before I slice through your jugular and carotid artery?" I ask and to emphasize my point I put the blade a little deeper into his skin drawing blood. Fear touches his eyes but only for a brief second before the smugness returns.

"You kill me, you lose her," He points out. "You might want to take one last look so you can say goodbye to her."

He has me, I know it and he knows it but I still feel the urge to shove my knife into his smug face. Slowly I pull my knife from his throat and step away however. He gingerly rubs the spot and comes away with blood on his fingertips. He licks them and smiles. "I think you're the first person that's made me bleed."

"I find that hard to believe. I'm sure you were bullied at lot in grade school," I sarcastically respond. "Now where is she?"

"Are you taking the job?"

I nod. "I've got no choice."

"Sure you do Grayson; you can turn around and walk right back out to that private plane you flew in on and tell your pals that she was already cremated or some such," He says while rummaging in his desk. He pulls out a still frame image that he printed of her in captivity and hands it to me. "Take this with you as a reminder of how you let her down though."

I take the picture in my hand and can't help but stare at it. Her face is dirty, her eyes are red from crying I imagine, her blonde hair is in tangles and streaked with grime but she's alive. My worst fears are quashed and confirmed at the same time all in a single photograph. I'm elated that she's not dead but now that I know that she could be sold I'm also sick with worry that if I miss getting her here and now, I could lose her again, forever this time. I glance up at Trent and see that smirk has appeared again. "She sure is a lovely woman. Hate to think of what some of those deviants will be doing to her when they get their hands on her."

"Fuck you Trent."

"Now, play nice Grayson," He says. "She's still at the Aid Station same as your target. She's in pretty good shape from what I can tell, but if this sale goes through, she'll be gone within a day and we both know what happens to her once she's been sold right?"

I want to tell him to be the highest bidder, that her family or the Voss's would pay any amount just to get her home but I know that he'll never allow it. He's got a job that he wants done and no matter what I say, I never really had a choice once I saw her on that computer feed.

"I'll do your dirty work but then when I send you proof, that it's done then you send in a helicopter to get us out, agreed?" I tell him shoving her picture into my pocket.

"I think I can arrange that," He tells me handing me a cell phone. "Send me the picture on the body and make sure I can ID him and I'll send in an extraction chopper. Oh and I've even managed to get you aboard a C-130 that's heading to Dakar, but it's wheels up in a little less than an hour, so you'd better get a move on."

I move to the door then pause. "You'd better not screw me on this Trent," I tell him taking the phone and tucking it away in my pocket.

"Hey, if you can't trust me, who can you trust?" He asks with a chuckle.

"And Trent, if anything happens to her before I get there, there will be no place on earth that you can hide from me once I get done with Ballo and his crew. I will kick over every rock, look in every slimy hole until I find the one you're in and when I'm done you will be begging for the bullet I finally put between your eyes, do you get me?"

"You're wasting precious time, Grayson. Tick tock, tick tock," He says tapping his wristwatch. I turn and head out the door with a creeping feeling up the back of my spine that I'm going to screwed on this job no matter what happens.

I'm thankful that the cab I manage to flag down has a maniac behind the wheel who despite many close brushes with death manages to get us to the airport in time and intact. I tip generously as I leap out and make a run towards the C-130 cargo plane that is starting to roll towards the runway. They're in the process of raising the cargo bay door as I catch up to it and manage to get yanked aboard.

"Cutting it close sir," The young Marine that helps me aboard says as we take a seat and buckle in.

"You don't have to sir me, Marine. I was enlisted, same as you," I tell him. I reach out to shake his hand.

"Grayson. Former Petty Officer First Class."

"Squid huh." He says with a smirk.

"Worse." I answer. "SEAL."

"Damn, I should throw you back off on pure principal," He jokes.

"You could try but I'm not as out of practice as I seem," I answer.

"If you say so Pops," He goads me and I smile at him before closing my eyes and falling fast asleep much easier than I did on the Voss's plush Gulfstream. Guess there's something about the bumpy ride and smell of hydraulic grease that puts me at ease. The dreams that my mind conjures up while I'm sleeping however doesn't help me rest very easy.

It's like I'm in a maze of mirrors trying to find my way out but instead of my reflection in them all I see is Michelle. The same beautiful dress, same blonde hair, down to the very same look on her face as the last time I saw her on the Voss's balcony.

"It was a mistake," each of her doppelgangers begin to say.

"Why was it a mistake?" I ask all the sad eyes as they stare into me.

"It was a mistake," comes the answer even louder than before. I begin trying to make my way out of the maze but every turn I make seems to just take me deeper and deeper in. The mirror Michelle's keep up the "It was a mistake" chant as I keep losing myself deeper into the labyrinth. The chanting just keeps getting louder and louder until the mirror begin to crack. I drop to my knees holding my ears trying to repel the assault but it's no use. As I open my own mouth to scream the mirrors explode around me.

Thankfully, the bounce of the C-130 wheels touching down jostles me awake. I stretch my arms, back and neck before noticing the Marine I'm riding with is staring at me.

"Was I talking in my sleep Marine?" I ask.

"Uh No, no sir. It's just I got to thinking that I'd heard your name before. Story about a SEAL named Grayson who walked back to his base after giving up his seat on a chopper to injured Marines. That wouldn't be you, would it?" He asks.

"Do you think any self-respecting SEAL would do such a thing, much less admit to doing it?" I ask with a grin.

He shakes his head. "Probably not, but I'd like to buy you a beer anyway. Ya know, just in case I happened to meet the legend and didn't know it."

"Some other time Marine. I gotta a boat to catch," I tell him then pause. "There is something else that you can do for me though."

"If I can, sure," He says.

"Do you know someone at the embassy here that you can trust? I'm talking really trust?"

He thinks for a moment. "I've played cards a few times with one of the ambassador's aids. He's former military himself, Air Force but he ain't so bad. So yeah, I trust him."

"Well beggars can't be choosers right?" I ask and hand him my cell phone. "I recorded a conversation I had with a guy named Trent on there. Play it for your card buddy and hopefully he can get it to the right people."

"The right people?" He asks.

"Once you play the message you'll see what I mean. And thanks for helping me out Marine."

"Sure thing and good luck with... well with whatever it is that you're doing."

Outside on the tarmac I look out to the horizon as the first rays of the sun begin to paint the sky. I contemplate finding a pay phone to call home to check in and let them know that she's alive but the clock is ticking. I've got to get a move on before I lose her for good.

"Do you think that us not hearing anything from Kenneth is a good sign or a bad one?" Addison asks Alex as they sit by her pool sharing breakfast. Alex takes a drink of his coffee and shrugs.

"It's hard to say. He might not be near a phone, his cell might not work over there or he's in too much of a hurry to find her and will call when he's got her," He postulates.

"I prefer the last option."

"I do too."

"Alex, thanks for staying last night and making sure that Justin didn't come back to cause trouble. I appreciate your checking up on me."

"And I appreciate this breakfast you made. I didn't know you could cook so well," He says.

"You can thank Michelle for that, she taught me how to use more than the microwave in the kitchen. Honestly, I've done more pushing food around my plate than actually eating these last few days. How long do you..." she begins to ask but is interrupted by her cell phone. She quickly looks at the caller then sighs. "It's Lissa," She tells him. "I had to leave her a message about Michelle. I should take it."

"Of course," Alex tells her.

"Lis? Hey."

"Hey you. Sorry I missed your call. Scott and I were down in the Keys for a few days looking for things to put in the new club," Lissa tells her. "Now, what's going on with Michelle? You sounded cryptic but didn't leave any details."

"I didn't want to tell you over a machine Lis."

"Oh God, what's happened?" Lissa asks picking up on the tone in Addison's voice.

"You know she went to Africa right?"

"Yes, she told me about it. I tried talking some sense into her but she went anyway with that guy... Jerry or something."

"Justin but he's not important," Addison says and pauses.

"Of course he's not. What's happened to Michelle?"

"The compound they were in got taken over by a militia and... and we're not sure if..."

"Oh my god," Lissa says and Addison can hear her relaying it to Scott who takes the phone.

"Addison, do you know exactly where she's supposed to have been?"

"Senegal. At an aid station back off in the jungles somewhere."

"Okay, I can be at the airport in a half hour, that'd put me in country in about..."

"Kenneth's already gone," Addison interrupts him. "He left last night in our jet."

"Damn, I'd never catch up to him now," He says. "Wait, I'm putting you on speaker."

"Me too, Alex is here with me now."

"Good. Alex did anybody go with him? T. J. or Ramon maybe?"

"No, he went on his own. His gut was telling him he was running out of time or some such."

"Typical. How was he when he left?"

"Pissed off but determined," Addison answers. "The douchbag that was with Michelle was there at the plane and they kind of got into it."

"I hope Kenny kicked his ass," Lissa says. "How sure are we that Michelle's not... God, I don't even want to say it aloud."

"Me either sweetie," Addison says and looks at Alex for support. "We just have to stay strong and be positive."

"Okay, you're right. She's strong, she can survive this."

"I told you how Kenny felt about her, he won't let anything happen once he finds her," Scott tells her then asks. "Have you guys heard from him yet?"

"Not yet." Alex answers. "Given the time he left here, he's in country by now but we haven't heard anything."

"Does he have any kind of back up or contacts there?" Scott asks.

"No contacts that I'm aware of. I was able to get in touch with a man at the embassy in Morocco, an Agent Trent with the CIA who said he'd help." Alex states.

"Jesus Alex, the CIA? You know that they can't be trusted."

"I didn't have much of a choice Scott."

"Yeah, I suppose not but still..."

"We'll deal with it if anything comes up. That's all we can do from over here."

"All right, let's give him another day or so and if we haven't heard anything then..."

"Then we get the band back together and invade Senegal." Alex says.

"Damn right."

"I'll start making preparations now so we're ready if that time comes."

"My go bag is packed so let me know."

"We're coming home," Lissa tells them. "The club can run itself for a few days."

"Lissa, she wouldn't want you to risk your business," Addison says.

"It's no risk, Jamie can run the place for a little while and she can always call us if she has any questions," She tells her.

"Lis, you'll just sit around here and worry like I am. It's not healthy for either of us."

"Scott, you guys stay in Miami and work so you can keep your minds off this at least for now. Lissa, I know I'm asking a lot but you have to or you'll worry yourself sick. Right now there's nothing any of us can do but wait."

"As crappy as that is," Scott says.

"You okay with that Lis?" Addison asks.

"Not really but I know that Alex's right. I'll keep praying for them so please call me as soon as you hear anything."

"Of course Lis. The moment I hear anything I'll call you."

"Night or day, I don't care when. I'll keep my phone charged so whenever, okay?"

"I promise. Okay, we should probably be going but we'll call you as soon as we hear anything. Love you guys."

"And we love you too. Keep positive thoughts for Michelle and Kenny."

Addison hangs up and leans back in her chair. "I can't tell if I feel better or worse now that I've talked with them?"

He reaches out and takes hold of her hand. "It's better that they know and you handled it very well."

"Considering I'm a nervous wreck."

"It didn't show. They couldn't see your leg bouncing nervously over the phone."

She nods forcing her leg to be still. "Yeah, I do that sometimes. Sorry."

"Don't apologize. I think it's kind of cute."

"Cute huh?" She asks him getting a shrug in response. "You seem to know what happened between Kenneth and Michelle, this kiss he let slip before he left last night. Do you know exactly how it happened?"

"He told me that the night of your mom's charity party Michelle ran into someone that you guys went to school with. She and Michelle exchanged words over something and it kind of shook her up a little so he took her out onto the balcony for some air. I suppose one thing led to another and he ended up kissing her. She seemed into at first he said but then she suddenly pulled away and told him it was a mistake. Left him standing there on the balcony. Next day she took your jet to Maine and he didn't hear from her again."

"He could have gone after her."

"Think about that for a second. If you told a guy that you and he were a mistake and then left out as fast as you could on your friends plane only to have the guy follow you, what would you think?"

"I'd think he was a psycho no matter how good he kissed. Good point."

"And that's why he didn't go chasing after her. I don't know, maybe he thought he'd talk to her when she back home, try and smooth things over with her. Then she doesn't come home so what was he supposed to do?" He says.

"Right now I wish he'd have got on a plane and drug her butt back home." Addison jokes.

"Well if he kissed badly enough to drive her out of the country maybe he didn't think he had a shot." Alex says trying to joke.