The Marshal Pt. 01

"Shit," he hissed softly. He had no idea why he expected his phone to still be charged. He hadn't charged it since he left New York yesterday.

"What?" Bo-bae asked, looking around with wide eyes.

"My phone's dead. I need to stop and get a charger."

She relaxed "You scared the hell out of me. I thought someone was after us or something."

"No, but stopping is dangerous. We need to keep moving, but I need to report in and find out what the hell is going on. That bomb threat is too much of a coincidence. That's twice Han's thugs knew our plans. We've got a mole."

She looked at him, her eyes still wide. "What are we going to do?"

"I can tell you what we're not going to do. We're not flying."

"We're going to drive all the way to New York? Are you shitting me? It took me five days to get to California when I drove. I didn't sign up to spend five fucking days in a car with you."

"You have a better idea?"

"Can't you rent a plane or something?"

"You think I'm made of money?" he asked, glancing at her in annoyance.

"You're paying for this?" she said, her surprise clear in her voice.

"I'll expense it back to the government, but yeah. What are you complaining about? You drove it."

"Yeah, because I was going to spend three or four months in California and I wanted my car."

"Well, I think we can do it less than five days if we push it."

"I'm so sick of being cooped up! I've done nothing but sit on my ass in either a hotel room or a car for almost a week. I'm about to go bakjwi ttong michin!" She grinned. "That's bat-shit crazy for you miguk."

"Miguk?" he asked.

Her smile spread. "Americans."

"Ah. Well, you can stretch your legs as soon as I find a Walmart or something."

He'd used a free rental car map to get them on the road, but it didn't have much detail, and without his phone GPS, all he could do was stay on the road and hope they eventually reached a town. About ninety minutes into the trip they arrived at Peyson, the first town of any size since they left Phoenix. He was learning that Arizona was full of absolutely nothing except desert. A Walmart was ahead on the left, and he pulled in. It was near noon and the sun was blistering.

"Jesus," he gasped as he stepped out of the air-conditioned car into the broiling heat.

Feeling relatively safe, he stayed close to her side but didn't take her arm as they quick stepped into the Walmart. He didn't have to hurry Bo-bae along as she seemed to want to get out of the heat as quickly as I did. Nudging her toward the back of the store, their first stop was to find a car charger for his phone. After studying the selection a moment, he picked both a car and wall charger from the rack.

"Can I get a change of clothes?" she asked, her eyes pleading. "Please? I'll pay you back."

Having her suggest a change of clothes made him realize how crunchy his own garments felt, plus he hadn't been able to get the spot of George's blood off his shirt. "Good idea."

After locating the women's apparel section, she picked through the clothes. "The quality sucks," she muttered.

"You can always keep wearing what you've got on." She glared at him but continued to look through the garment, selecting a pair of jeans and a shirt. "Get enough for five days. And you probably should get some better shoes, just in case."

"You don't mind?"

"No. I'm going to do the same."

She added more clothes over her arm. "Why shoes?"

"If we have to run, your broken heels aren't going to be worth a shit."

She paused as she stared at him, her eyes questioning. "You think we're going to have to do that?"

"I hope not, but if we do..." He shrugged.

She swallowed and nodded. "I need to try these on." He stood outside the changing room until she emerged. "Shoes?" They returned the rear of the store where she picked out a pair of white sneakers. "You think they'll care if I wear these out?" she asked as she bounced on her toes.

He took the empty box from her and put her broken heels inside. "I think I can square it with them."

Bo-bae seemed to have a bit more spring in her step as they left the shoe department, and he wondered if her feet had been hurting. He decided they weren't as she hadn't complained about them, and he was certain she would have, but her broken heels had probably felt odd while walking. On their way to the men's department, they snagged an abandoned trolley and dumped her clothes and the two chargers into it. He picked out jeans and simple, plain shirts, adding his clothes to the pile in the buggy. Underwear was added for both of them, requiring another pass through the women's department because they'd forgotten them the first time, and a final stop in the health and beauty department netted him disposable razors and shaving cream, along with deodorant, toothbrushes and toothpaste for both of them, a hairbrush, and Bo-bae picked out various bottles of mysterious concoctions she insisted she needed.

He checked them out, Rob's lips thinning as the total increased. Drew was going to shit kittens when he saw Rob's expense report. He paid and picked up their bags of loot. They hurried across the parking lot to their car. He tossed their goods into the backseat of the Malibu, almost recoiling as the heat poured out of the car. They'd been in the store less than an hour, but the automobile was already like an oven, even with its white paint.

At the edge of the Walmart parking lot was a restaurant with lots of cars clustered around. "Lunch?" he asked.

"No fast food."

He didn't feel like arguing with her. "Not this time," he agreed.

It was too hot to walk even so short a distance, so they drove the hundred yards to the restaurant, but the inside of the car was so roasting hot he wasn't sure he'd improved their lot by driving. When they stopped, he pulled the wall charger from the bag, opened it, and carried it inside with him. The place was packed, and people were waiting for tables, but it was blessedly cool and he sighed in relief. His gut was telling him we needed to move, but he decided they should be safe for a quick stop.

"Two. Away from the door," Rob said when it was their turn to be seated.

The hostess led them to a table. There was no power plug, so bringing the charger in was a waste of time, and he left it wadded on the chair beside him. The restaurant, Gerado's, was a mid-level family place. He ordered a chicken sandwich and Bo-bae had a salad.

"What the plan?" she asked softly after the waitress left.

"Get to New York."

"That's it? What kind of plan is that?"

"What do you want me to say?"

"I don't know, but 'get to New York' seems sketchy at best."

He shrugged. "If you have a better idea, I'm all ears."

She huffed and seemed to settle in on herself. "No." She looked at the table. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"For the clothes. For saving my life... both yesterday and today." He stared at her, his face neutral. "What?" she asked, clearly confused.

"Who are you and what have you done with Han Bo-bae?"

Her face hardened. "See? I try to be nice and you act like a prick."

He held up his hands with a smile. "Whoa," he said softly. "I was just kidding. You're welcome for the clothes, and the rest... that's my job."

"Well, thank you anyway."

"You're welcome." Their water arrived and he waited until the waitress left before he continued. "I want to make Albuquerque tonight before we stop."

"How far is that?"

"I have no idea."

She flashed a smile. "Swell. I hope it's close. I want to get a shower and get out of these clothes."

"I know just how you feel."

They ate leisurely, but the moment Bo-bae was finished, he picked up the check and his charger, and pushed back from the table. After paying they hurried to the Malibu and he placed her inside. After starting the car and setting the air conditioning to max, he plugged his phone for it to begin charging. As soon as the phone had enough juice, he turned it on, called out the unlock code as Bo-bae entered it, and had her put in Albuquerque as their destination. He sighed in relief that they were still on the right road and headed in the right direction.

He took the phone from her, and glancing between the phone and the road, selected Drew from his contacts before lifting the phone to his ear.

"Gwynn."

"Drew. Rob. Have you heard?"

"About the bomb? Yeah. Where are you?"

"In a rented car headed east. That was too much of a coincidence, so I'm bringing her in a car."

There was a brief pause as SDM Gwynn contemplated the ramification of Rob's statement. "You know that breaks every regulation in the book, not to mention you'll be exposed far longer." Rob nodded. When protecting a witness, male deputies guarding females, and vice-versa, was strictly forbidden. This job has started out as normal, simple, transportation, something the Marshals did hundreds of times a year, but it had gone off the rails and now he was stepping deep into forbidden territory. "You need to stop so we can sort this out. Where are you?"

"In Arizona."

"Where in Arizona?"

He thought about telling him. He trusted Drew, but the fact was, someone was leaking intel to Han. "I don't know exactly. Somewhere north of Phoenix."

"I can't cover for you if you do this, Rooster. Last night was an emergency, but that excuse won't fly, not all the way to New York. You could lose your badge. Stop at the marshal's office in Albuquerque and--"

"And what?" he interrupted. "Put her on a plane? We've tried that. Twice."

"You can't protect her alone, not to mention--"

"I know. I know!" he interrupted again. "But what do you expect me to do?"

"I expect you to stop in Albuquerque and let's figure this mess out," Drew said, his voice firm.

He thought about it. It would be so easy to do that and wash his hands of it. She could be someone else's problem. "No. I can't do it." He'd made her a promise that he'd get her safely to New York, and he was going to do exactly that.

"That's an order, Deputy Marshal," Drew commanded, his voice full of steel.

"Fine. You can have my badge when I deliver her. This whole thing is fucked up, Drew. You need to find out who the mole is. Until then, I don't know who to trust."

"You can trust me."

"I trust you. But how did Han's goons find out about Phoenix?"

"You think I told him?" Drew asked, his voice cold and hard.

"If I did, I wouldn't be talking to you now, but someone did. Who'd you tell?"

"Nobody!"

"Of course you did. You told dispatch, and the travel office, and God knows who they told as they set everything up. See my point? How sure are you that your office isn't bugged?"

Drew was quiet for a long moment. "Let me get back to you."

"I'm bringing her in Drew. I'll bring her in safe and sound, and if it costs me my badge, then so be it. I can live with that. What I can't live with is her getting killed on my watch unless I know I did everything I could. Right now, I'm not willing to let her out of my sight unless I know she's safe."

"I understand. Let me see what I can find out. I'll do what I can to cover this, but if it comes down from the Marshal, and you refuse his direct order, that's insubordination and I can't protect you. You understand that, right?"

"I understand."

"Give me a few hours and I'll call you back."

"You do that, but unless you have something concrete to give me, I'm not willing to turn her over to anyone else." There was an uncomfortable silence as Drew digested the ramifications of Rob's refusal of a direct order. "Han must really be worried to go through all this effort, and I want her to make it there. Right now, I don't know who I can trust," he added, to try to help Drew understand.

Drew was once a deputy marshal himself, just like Rob was, and Rob knew he understood. The United States Marshal Service prided themselves on their incorruptibility, but Han had gotten to someone. How far it reached, Rob didn't know, but the last thing he wanted to do was send her into an ambush. He and Bo-bae had slipped through Han's net, and Kwang-hoon was probably scrambling. If Kwang-hoon knew where they were going to be, and approximately what time they'd be there, the odds shifted into his favor. Rob couldn't take that chance.

"I'll call you back in a few hours," Drew finally said.

"You have my number." He hung up.

Bo-bae was staring at him, her face clouded with concern. "What's happening?"

"They want us to stop at the Marshal's office in Albuquerque."

"Are we?"

"No."

"Why?"

"Because your brother has a source of information. Until we choke that off, I'm not telling anyone where we are."

"Why are you doing this?"

"It's my job."

"They're going to take your badge?"

"They might. But you'll be safe in New York when they do."

She looked at him for a long time. "I don't get you. Why do you care?"

"I told you, it's my job."

"Is that all?"

"What else is there?"

"I don't know."

"That's all it is." He glanced at her and smiled. "You're a pain in the ass, but that's not worth letting you die over."

"Well fuck you very much. You're not exactly Mr. Personality yourself," she growled in return, but there was no heat in her tone.

His grin spread slightly. "There's the Han Bo-bae I know."

She showed him her middle finger, but there was a touch of a smile on her lips as she did. "My friends... my American friends... call me Bae," she said after a long moment.

"Is that what I should call you?"

"If you like," she said softly.

"Okay... Bae," he said, his use of her pet name causing her to smile slightly. "Call me Rob."

"Not Rooster?"

He huffed out a single laugh. "I'm not a chicken," he said softly, causing her smile to spread slightly.

"No... you're certainly not," she murmured as she looked away to stare out of her side glass.

They rolled into Albuquerque about seven. He considered pressing on, but the next major town was Amarillo, which was five hours away. He decided to stop, get a good night's sleep, and try to get an earlier start in the morning.

He hadn't heard back from Drew. Rob didn't know if Drew was avoiding talking to him to keep his hands clean, to protect him, or if he simply didn't have any news and what Rob told him had sunken in. Maybe Drew was limiting his contact with Rob so Han couldn't find them. As they approached Albuquerque, Rob decided he'd call Drew in the morning and get an update.

Smart phones were a wonderful thing, and after filling the Malibu with gas, he spent a long moment looking for a motel. He found one that looked promising. Another mom-and-pop place, not far from the interstate, and with decent ratings. Fifteen minutes later, the GPS delivered them to the parking lot of the Turquoise Inn.

"Do I have to handcuff you to the steering wheel, or are you going to behave yourself when we go in there?" he asked, holding Bae's gaze.

"Fuck you. I'm still not sharing a bed with you."

"And I'm not asking you too, but I'm tired and I don't feel like putting up with your shit tonight."

She huffed. "Fine. I'll keep my mouth shut."

He nodded curtly and opened the door. She was good to her word and they quickly had a room. This room had two kings in it, and though he longed to use one, he knew he wouldn't. The small motel was proud of their recent renovation, and it showed in the rooms. The carpet was clean and soft, and the bathrooms were bright, clean, and modern. Leaving Bae in the room, he returned to the car, hauled their bags in, and tossed them on the bed.

He stretched, trying to work the kinks from the long drive out. "What do you want for dinner?"

"How about someplace nice for a change?"

"We're eating in the room."

"Are you shitting me?" she asked, her tone full of disbelief. "Why? We have to go out to get the food anyway, right?"

"Yeah, but we can use a drive-thru, and why do you think?"

"Who knows we're here? We had lunch in a not-such-a-shithole place. You didn't seem to mind then."

"Yeah, but Drew wanted us to stop in Albuquerque, and..." he said while extending his hands and turning slowly to take in the room. "If someone was listening..."

"But we're not at the Marshal's office."

"I know, but if they're watching for us at restaurants and motels, they could get lucky. Better to not take the chance."

"They who?"

"Your brother, or whoever is trying to kill you. We'll eat in the room."

"No. This is stupid and I'm not doing it."

"Stop being such a pain in my ass. I'm giving you a choice. Now, what do you want?"

"Doesn't matter since I'm not eating it. You can't keep treating me this way!"

"What way?" he asked, forcing calmness into his voice. He was so sick of her attitude. "The trying to keep you alive way?"

"Fuck you and the high horse you rode in on."

"If you don't want to make a choice, fine. Stay in the room. Don't open the door for anyone but me. I'm going to the McDonalds next door. I should be back in five or ten minutes."

"McDonalds?" she cried as if she couldn't believe I'd even suggest that. "No fucking way I'm eating that shit."

"Then pick something else."

"How about Korean? The fucking marshals in L.A. wouldn't order Korean because it was too far away, and I haven't had a decent Korean meal in weeks. There must be a Korean restaurant around here somewhere. Maybe they can deliver if we have to eat in the room."

He rolled his eyes. If he was looking for a Korean woman on the run, and he knew approximately when and where she'd be, one of the places he'd put a man would be a Korean restaurant watching for a delivery to a hotel. He'd also spread plenty of money around all the restaurants and hotels near the interstate. Albuquerque wasn't New York, and while the city was big enough that the chances of them being spotted was low, it wasn't zero... especially with them so near the interstate.

Han's source of information also worried him, so much so they weren't going nowhere near the Albuquerque Marshal's office. With the Marshal's office so near I-40, that was the primary reason they hadn't stopped until they were on the eastern outskirts of the city. Once they were clear of Albuquerque, he could relax a little.

"McDonalds it is, then."

"I told you, I'm not eating that slop!"

"You'll eat it or go hungry."

"I'd rather starve."

He smiled at her, but his smile didn't reach his eyes. "Doesn't bother me."

"Go fuck yourself!"

"Suit yourself." He paused at the door. "If you leave the room, I'll handcuff you to the sink the next time. We clear on that?"

"Fuck... you..." she hissed, drawing the words out.

"I told you, you're not my type," he growled as he opened the door, stepped through, and closed it behind him, making sure it was locked. He didn't like leaving her in the room, but he didn't want to take her out in public either. That was the reason two marshals always guarded a witness. One could go get food, sleep, whatever, while the other stood watch.

He trotted across the parking lot to the McDonalds. They were busy with interstate traffic, but inside the restaurant was nearly empty so he was able to place his order immediately. He ordered two Quarter-Pounders with cheese meals, paid, and was hurrying back across the parking lot less than five minutes after he left. Carefully balancing the drink tray, he unlocked the door. Bae was sitting on the edge of the bed, glaring at him as he entered, her eyes hard.

"I told you I wasn't eating that slop."

He set the drinks on the table and pulled out his burger and fries without saying a word, placing them on the table beside the drinks. His meal removed, he handed her the bag with her burger and fries. She took it, but when he turned his back, she flung it at him. It surprised him, but it didn't hurt. He quickly recovered from his shock, took the last two steps to the table without looking back, sat down, and slowly opened his burger and took a bite without comment. He wasn't the one who'd go hungry.