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Tripp’s heart pounded in his throat as he pushed his way into Last Chance, Momma Van Bastian and some of her hired muscle stopped him. Tripp started pushing his way through the sweaty men but he saw Lena go into the back room.

            “Lena damn you get back here, ABORT THE MISSION!”  Men pushed Tripp back out into the dusty parking lot. He promised he wouldn’t let anything happen and he broke his promise. Tripp felt even more like a piece of s**t when he heard screaming.

            “I’m sorry Lee I didn’t mean what I said I take it back!” Tripp didn’t understand why he was worried and why he felt like the biggest a*****e in the world. What he did know was he had to keep his promise. He ran harder and turned the corner to see Bobby choking Lena out. Sirens screamed in the background and he knew it was do or die. Why the hell didn’t the snipers take out Bobby before he laid a hand on Lena? He was going to have to talk with Biesel and the sergeant when he solves the Bobby Van Bastian problem. He raised his gun and took aim, there was pain in Lena’s eyes and she reached out to him then slumped down on the ground. Rage filled Tripp’s veins and burned through his body like lava.

            “Bobby step away from Agent Caine and I won’t shoot you.” He moved closer towards Bobby and Lena, the sirens grew louder. Minutes ticked away and seemed like hours. Bobby ignored Tripp; he bent down over Lena’s body and started to unzip the fly in his overalls.

            “I’m going to show Little Red Riding Hood what the Big Bad wolf is all about.” He lowered himself and Tripp pulled the trigger. Bobby went flying backwards and a sharp burning sensation hit Tripp. He looked at his shoulder and saw he was hit, why was he shot? Tripp applied pressure to his arm and another piece of lead seared through his stomach. Something was terribly wrong. He dragged himself over to Lena’s body and threw himself on top of her. This night went wrong and his own agents betrayed him.

            Lena floated, that’s strange she shouldn’t be floating. This was deja vu all over again. The last time she felt this way she was laying in a gutter bleeding to death. Is she actually dead this time? She remembered a kiss, then going to a bar and then Tripp aiming a gun at her. She sighed and fell back into her cottony bliss, he was right; if she pulled some stupid stunt he was going to kill her. He must have, but why the kiss? Lena stared around her but just saw white nothingness. Guess this is what the afterlife is like; at least I hope we accomplished what we set out to do. She wrapped herself in the whiteness and slipped back into that place in her mind where she floated.  Lena heard crying and smelled oil and leather, that’s strange in the afterlife you can’t hear crying and smell things can you. She pulled herself out of her billowy cocoon and searched for the sound and smell.

            “I hear you? Who is crying?” Lena tried reaching out towards the crying and was rewarded with a solid squeezing to her hand. Lena tried to squeeze back but she couldn’t get out of the whiteness. “I’m trying to get to you, please don’t give up. Oh god Tripp what have you done? Do you hate me that much?” She fell back into her billowy prison and was trapped.

            “She squeezed my hand I felt her!” Ally wiped tears from her eyes and laid her head on the comatose girl’s chest. “Come on girl you need to pull through Tripp took several bullets for you and my baby needs a god mother.” Ally started crying again. She just came from Tripp’s bedside and Gerald Alexander Taylor was a changed man. What happened tonight made something inside the man snap. He almost died as well but luckily he is a stubborn b*****d. Ally wiped her tears again and felt the baby kicking against her stomach.  She laid a hand on her stomach and sighed. Everyone at the agency was trying to figure out what exactly went down tonight. George was examining the audio and visual footage and Biesel was trying to track down his snipers. Bobby was not dead when police arrived on scene; they found Tripp and Lena lying in a pool of blood. The crime scene technicians were examining the blood spatter leading into the woods. Ally wiped her eyes again and felt rage bubble inside her. Bobby Van Bastian should have been dead with a bullet to the head but instead he was walking around? Luckily the local police were in cooperation with the agency and shut down Last Chance and arrested several individuals, the exact number escaped Ally. She sighed and stared at the olive green walls and inhaled the smell of antiseptic and flowers. The hospital contacted her as soon Lena was brought in; it was by sheer dumb luck that Ally found out about Tripp as well.  Momma Van Bastian wasn’t with the arrested individuals, she disappeared along with her son.

            There was a soft knock on the door and Ally saw Vivian standing in the doorway looking perfectly manicured except for puffy red eyes. Ally threw herself on Vivian and hugged the older woman tight. No words were needed and Vivian knew what Ally was thinking. Vivian pulled away and looked at the machine monitoring Lena’s vital signs.

            “Ally you should go home I’ll take over and make sure she pulls through.” Vivian pulled a lace handkerchief out of her purse and dabbed at her eyes. “I just came from Tripp’s bed side and he was awake. He feels awful about Lee and I told him not to worry but he will not listen.” She blew her nose and sat down in one of the stiff backed hospital chairs.

            “The doctor told me that between the strangulation and the amount of pure heroin injected into her.” Ally stopped and sobbed some more, fresh tears glistened on her cheeks and she shook her head. “They said she is lucky to be alive, the amount of heroin wasn’t a lot but since it wasn’t cut with anything it was 100 percent pure. They don’t even know about the other tests yet. As far as the hospital knows, off the record they know that Bobby Van Bastian doesn’t have AIDS. They aren’t sure about Hepatitis yet.” Ally broke down and cried again. Vivian looked at the pregnant woman and shook her head.

            “Go see Tripp and let him know the poor boy doesn’t know all that is going on. Then go home and get some rest you have the baby to think about.” Vivian didn’t want to worry the other lady anymore by telling her that as soon as Tripp and Lee were stable they were going to be moved. There was a hit out on the two agents and it was going to put everyone in jeopardy. Biesel was setting up a safe house for them as soon as he can find somewhere the Van Bastian hand doesn’t reach.  She ran her hands through her perfectly coiffed hair and stared at the comatose girl, her vital signs were still weak, even if she remains in the coma once her vitals were steady then they could move her. Vivian caressed the waxy skin and laid a kiss on her forehead. Vivian chuckled to herself; if Lena and Tripp were actually aware of how they act they may get along better although denial does run deep. Vivian has watched Tripp and Lena and when he isn’t being so stubborn and a jerk, Vivian notices some tenderness and smoldering in his eyes. It’s a shame Lena couldn’t see that, she’s been hurt in the past, and so has he. They both guard their feelings but Lena is dead when it comes to love and men. She would rather forget they exist, she’ll work with them and pal around with them but when it came to her heart, Lena shut the opposite sex out and most everyone else as well. Vivian sighed and stared at the girl, Tripp was almost the same way but he was overly passionate and his trust issues but he was a real jerk when he wanted to be.

            Vivian knew what the next mission was going to be and she knew that Tripp and Lena were going to argue and fight about it. The only question that stands now would be where to send them. The next mission also would be set in stone if Lena pulls out of coma. If she doesn’t and the worse should happen, Vivian left that last thought hang. She really didn’t want to think of the worse case scenario. She pulled the covers up to Lena’s chin and left the room. She needed to talk with Biesel and to check on Tripp.

            He ran as fast as he could his footsteps echoing in the darkness that engulfed him.  His footsteps pounded and sounded like his heart. He heard screaming; horrid screaming and he knew he had to get to the screaming.

            “LENA! I’m coming don’t give up, I’m sorry I was a b*****d!” He ran towards the screaming and ended up clawing at the darkness. It was like being in a tomb, cold, dirty, and dark.  He was starting to suffocate and the screaming was surrounding him now, Lena’s face flew in and out of his vision agony on her face then nothingness. He tried screaming but the darkness was filling his throat.

            Tripp gasped and sat up clawing at the tubes and wires attached to him. There voices and alarms going off but he wasn’t aware of them there was only one thing he was aware of. He felt a sting and then a burning sensation in his arms, his body was being pinned down and the darkness was falling over him once again. His shoulder throbbed and his stomach burned, there was a banging in his head and he realized it was his pulse.

            “What happened why did he sit up like that?” a voice said to his left, and sweat began to bead on his body.

            “I’m not sure, he was stable then all of a sudden his vitals started spiking and I thought he was going to go into cardiac arrest, but it was as if he had a bad dream.” A male voice said to his right. Tripp tried to move but couldn’t and his body felt like lead, he opened his chapped lips and croaked.

            “Where is she?” then darkness swallowed him up once more.

Reviews

[Marie]

Sorry nothing helpful, but...This is a great story. Twisted Lies rocks!