The Marshal Pt. 03

"Yeah. Your turn."

"Why didn't you wake me? I'd have joined you."

"That's why I didn't wake you. Breakfast or shower first?" he asked as he waggled the bag with the cookie inside.

"When did you get those?"

"About three this morning."

"Is that coffee I smell?"

"It's brewing."

"Shower, first," she mumbled as she stood. "No, kiss first, then shower."

He kissed her, but it left her wanting. She was starting to wake up, and she made her way to the shower. The hot water finished the job, and when she stepped out of the shower, a cup of coffee and a hand sized cookie were waiting.

"Thank you."

She finished her breakfast and dressed. Her clothes felt gritty and slept in, probably because they were. They sat on the edge of the bed.

"This is it?" she asked.

"I hope so."

"Ready to get rid of me?"

"Yes, but not for the reason you might think."

"What reason?"

"I'll know you're safe."

A ghost of a smile graced her lips. "I think I've been safe all along."

"I've done what I could, but you'll be safer in witsec."

"Maybe, but it won't be as much fun." She looked at him, the corner of his mouth quirking up in the way it did when he was amused. She smiled. "Being chased across the country by thugs and villains, dodging bullets by day, fucking our brains out by night... you certainly know how to show a girl a good time."

He chuckled. "It's been intense, that's for sure."

"Very. I certainly won't forget it."

"I won't either," he said softly. They sat in silence for a moment, lost in their thoughts. "I need to go."

"Where?" she asked.

"Next door. Now listen to me. When I leave, I want you to go to the stairs at the end of the hall. I've already scoped it out. If you squeeze against the outside wall you can see our room from there through the window in the door. The dim stairway and hall lights reflecting off the glass makes it almost a mirror, so you won't be seen. If I knock on the door before I enter the room, you run. That knock is my signal something's wrong, so you run like hell. I'm going to give you my phone. Call Michelle Walpole, tell her who you are, and have her come get you. Understand?"

She nodded. "You don't trust Hernández."

"I do, but this is my doomsday plan. Lou is a big, tall, redhead. If you see anyone other than that, get ready to run, got it?"

"Got it."

He handed her his phone before kissing her. "Let's go." He opened the door and checked the hall before waving her out. "Stay out of sight until I come for you."

Bae positioned herself in the stairwell at the end of the hall just like he ordered. She could just see their room if she pressed herself into the corner by the door. She waited, peeking through the small window to watch people as they began leaving. Since we were on the tenth floor, nobody wanted to use the stairs.

She heard a knock down the hall. "Rob? It's Lou."

She strained as much as she could, but she couldn't see the left side of the hall. Her heart began to thud in her chest. A moment later a big, redheaded woman and Rob crossed to their room. He slid the card into the door and motioned Lou into the room. She was carrying something in her right hand, but Bae couldn't tell what it was. Rob approached. She wanted to go to him, but she waited until he opened the door.

"It's okay. Come on," he said, holding his hand out. He led her to their room. "Ms. Han Bo-bae, meet Deputy Marshal Luisa Hernández. Lou, Bae."

"Nice to meet you, Ms. Han. Sorry for all you've been through. We're normally better than this."

"Call me Bae."

"Lou," she replied. She held a bulky vest with US Marshal stenciled on the front out to Bae. "Ballistic vest. Put it on." She tossed the other one to Rob. "You too."

Bae started pulling it over her head, but it got stuck and she took it back off. There was no obvious way to put it on. Rob smiled and helped her, first opening the vest up before pulling it over her head and then adjusting the Velcro strips so it fit. Lou was watching, and Bae could tell from her eyes she knew. She knew they'd been intimate and she wasn't pleased about it. She was a big, strong, full-figured woman, a woman that would need someone like Rob to handle her. Bae had never seen a natural red headed Latina before, and her coloring made her stunningly beautiful. Bae could easily image Luisa and Rob crying out their sweaty pleasure all night, and she was surprised the green monster tried to rear its ugly head with the thought. It was none of her business if they were fucking because Bae had no claim on Rob.

"This'll keep me safe?" Bae asked.

"It'll hurt like hell, but it'll stop a handgun round. It won't do anything for a knife, so try not to get yourself stabbed," Lou said as Rob adjusted his own vest. "Ready?"

Rob hung his badge on his belt, nodded, and took my arm. "Let's move."

Lou walked ahead of Bae and Rob. Lou was on point. If anything went down, it was her job to hold the line while Rob got Bae out of the kill box.

Lou was all business and loaded for bear. She was wearing her casual marshal uniform of blue shirt and tan pants, and like her charges, she was also wearing a ballistic vest. Her badge was prominently displayed on a chain around her neck, and she had a service weapon on each hip, the one on her left turned backwards so she could draw it with her right hand. She was a serious badass and looked the part.

Rob pulled Bae to a stop inside the door as Lou exited the building, did a quick visual sweep, and then motioned them out. He hurried Bae into the plain white Dodge double parked at the curb and blocking traffic, shoved her into the back seat, and then slid in beside her. By the time he shut the door, Lou was sitting behind the steering wheel. She started the Charger, and they were off.

Lou drove with the flow of traffic. Since it was Sunday, and they were in the part of Lower Manhattan that contained mostly municipal buildings, the traffic was relatively light. He said nothing and kept his eyes moving as he watched for threats. They made a turn he wasn't expecting, causing a cold hand to squeeze his heart. He slowly and quietly released the stay on his weapon. Bae noticed his movement, looked down, saw what he was doing, and looked at him with panic in her eyes. The shake of his head was barely perceptible.

"Where are we going?" he asked.

"Ah," Lou growled, "ConEd has the damned road closed. They were detouring traffic when I left. We're going around the other way." They rode in silence until a queue of cars appeared ahead. "What the hell?" she growled.

Alarm bells began ringing in his head. "What's going on, Lou?"

"I don't know."

"I don't like this."

"I don't either, but let's see what's going on before we panic." They continued to creep forward. The cars ahead of them were all making a left. "It's still ConEd," she said, but he could hear the concern in her voice.

Having ConEd, the power company for New York City, close one road was suspicious enough, but two was stretching the bounds of believability. There was a large electric substation complex near their location, but with everything that had happened, it still made him nervous.

They continued to roll forward. A white service truck was sitting in the road, it's yellow strobe flashing, and a barricade was setup around an open manhole. They rolled up to the man directing traffic and Lou flashed her badge as she rolled down her window.

"U.S. Marshals. Official Business. We need to get through."

"Yeah, I see that," the man said.

A gun appeared in his hand. Lou floored the car in the same instant, jerking the wheel to the left as the man fired into the car. There was no way he could miss at that range. The Charger lunged ahead, crashing through the barricade before thudding heavily, slewing right, and crashing into the pickup. The air bags deployed in the front with a deafening bang as the engine screamed, the rear tires smoking as the Dodge strained to move the truck.

"Lou!" Rob cried as the engine fell silent.

"Go!" she grunted, holding her chest. "I'm okay!"

"Out!" he yelled, shoving at Bae.

They were sitting ducks and had to get out of the car. The rear glass shattered as the man began firing into the car. He pushed Bae down into the floor and covered her with his body. Lou opened her door and fell out as he reached up, released the rear door, and kicked it open with his foot to give Lou some cover. Unlike in television shows, the car's door wouldn't stop a bullet, but they had to open the door anyway to get out of the car, and the metal would prevent the gunman from having a clear target. He hauled Bae up as Lou fired two shots at the man to force him to duck for cover.

"Move it!" he yelled, opening the other rear door and pushing Bae out by the ass.

"Go! I'll cover!" Lou yelled as Bae and Rob tumbled from the car.

The Dodge had run into the manhole and torn the right front tire almost completely away from the vehicle. There'd be no safety there. Using the bulk of the Charger as cover, Bae and Rob scrambled away, staying low and ducking behind the service truck before they stood and ran. He heard another flurry of rapid gunshots, a pause, then one more. He prayed the shots were from Lou, but he didn't slow. Rob's job was to get Bae to safety, Lou's was to keep the gunman pinned down. He dragged her along by her hand, running as fast as he could.

A SUV rounded the corner ahead of them far too quickly for it to be someone out for a Sunday drive, the vehicle roaring toward them with its engine straining. He changed directions and began dragging her down a service alley. The Ford turned, its engine howling as it barreled after them, the hard charging Expedition gaining rapidly. Ahead of them a produce truck was making a delivery to one of the many restaurants that dotted the area. There was a gap they could easily run through that wasn't wide enough for a car to pass. He put on a turn of speed, and Bae was barely keeping up. If she fell, they were dead, but even if she didn't, it was going to be damned close. If they didn't make it, the Expedition was going to run them down. They ran past the delivery truck without slowing, the Ford grinding to a stop only a few dozens of feet behind them.

He stopped, shoved Bae in front of the big International as he spun, drew his weapon, and planted in his shooting stance. Despite what television and movies showed, shooting a weapon in a crowded environment, like New York City, was a bad idea and should be avoided if possible because the risk of hitting innocents was so high.

A man opened the driver's door. "Halt! United States--" Rob yelled.

The moment he saw his pursuer's weapon appear, Rob fired with two quick pulls of the trigger, his Glock.40 caliber jumping in his hand. The bullets punched through the glass of the door to hit the man squarely in the center of his chest. As the gunman dropped, another man appeared from behind the box truck. Rob quickly shifted targets and squeezed twice more. The second man dropped as well, falling backward out of sight behind the truck with a cry of pain. Rob hadn't waited to see if the second man was armed before firing, but had seen the pistol in the man's hand as he tumbled out of sight. Rob offered a quick prayer of thanks to St. Michael, the patron saint of police officers, that both men were bad guys and he hadn't just shot the delivery truck driver or someone from the restaurant. He turned his attention to Bae. She was bent at the waist, hands on her knees and her chest heaving as she fought for breath.

"We have to go!"

He holstered his weapon, grabbed her hand, and began running. They burst out of the alley onto another street. He made a right. He couldn't see anything in the canyon of skyscrapers and hoped he hadn't gotten turned around and was still headed toward DPM and safety.

"I can't," she gasped as she pulled him to a stop.

"We have to keep moving!" he panted.

She shook her head as she bent at the waist and placed her hands on her knees again. "I can't," she gasped. "I can't... run... anymore."

He took her hand and started her walking. They had to get off the street. Standing in the open was a death sentence. "In here." He led her into a small restaurant and escorted her to a table in the back.

"What are... we going... to do?" she panted.

He pulled out his phone. "We're going to get some fucking answers," he snarled. He flipped through his recent calls to find Martinelli's number and waited as the phone rang.

"Cogburn? Where are you?"

"Han's goons jumped us again. Lou Hernández's been shot, possibly dead, and Bo-bae and I are on the run."

"What?" Martinelli cried. "Goddammit! How is that possible?"

"He had guys posing as ConEd. They blocked off the two main roads to DPM, maybe all the roads for all I know, and were checking every car. We drove right into their trap."

"Shit! I didn't tell anyone. Not even my secretary! I drove right past them this morning and didn't even think it could be them! It must have been Hernández!"

"Yeah, I'm sure that's why she was shot and stayed behind to cover our escape."

"Goddammit! Tell me where you are. I'll send the marshals."

"We're at..." He paused as he looked at the menu. "Enchantment Sandwiches on Broadway."

"I know the place. It's only six or eight blocks from here. Stay there! Help's on the way!"

He hung up.

"What are we going to do?" Bae asked, her panted breathing slowing.

"The cavalry is on the way."

She grabbed his arm. "I've seen that man!"

A big guy had just entered and was looking around. He was clearly looking for someone. The sandwich shop wasn't crowded, but there were far too many people for him to try to shoot their way out.

"Look at the table!" he hissed.

She did, but it didn't matter. They'd been spotted. The thug began drawing a weapon as Rob pushed Bae toward the nearest door. Thankfully the shop was on the corner and had two exits. They burst through the door as gunshots and screams filled the air. He jerked her to a stop as soon as they were away from the door and pulled her back against the wall. His own back pinned them to the wall, drew his weapon, and pointed it alongside the building at the door. If the goon came out after them, he was going to have a really bad day.

He waited ten seconds. The guy was smart. He holstered his weapon, grabbed her hand, and they ran. Most of the buildings around them were office buildings and were closed, but enough restaurants and shops were open that they had options. When she began flagging, he pulled her into small boutique.

"Take that off," he growled as he began ripping the Velcro open on his ballistic vest.

"But won't--?" she panted.

"It stands out and makes us a target," he said as he pulled his vest over his head, dropped it, and then returned his badge to his belt.

She began tearing at the straps and pulled her vest off before dropping it on his. He took her hand and led her out.

"Don't look around," he said as they strolled, pulling her close into his side to disguise his weapon and badge. "Try to relax. We're just a couple out for a walk."

The goons knew safety was at the Moynihan building and would probably be looking for them in that direction, so Rob and Bae turned and walked the opposite. He wanted to find a place they could go to ground until help arrived. He pulled his phone and dialed.

"United States Marshal Service."

"Let me speak to the SDM on duty."

"Who's calling?"

"Deputy Marshal Rob Cogburn."

"Stand by." The phone rang. "Deputy Marshal Caswell."

"Hank! Rob Cogburn. I'm in the shit."

"Where the hell are you, Cogburn? We've got help on the way."

"We were made and had to bug out. I've got Han but we're exposed. We're at..." He paused as he tried to figure out where they were. "We're coming up on the corner of Beatty and Graffen."

"Get to a safe spot. We're coming."

"Make it fast, Hank. We're twisting in the wind here."

"We're already rolling. I'll send them to your new location."

"Let me get off--"

"Rob!" Bae hissed, her hand tightening on his.

He looked farther down the street. The man they'd seen in the sandwich shop was coming toward them. He was a smart bastard. He'd circled the block to meet them head on. The gunman was on his phone, probably calling in reinforcements, just like Rob was doing. The marshals and Han were on a collision course for a good, old-fashioned, wild west style shootout.

Rob couldn't tell if Han's goon had recognized them yet. They'd changed their appearance by removing the ballistic vests, which could buy them a handful of seconds, but Bae's hair with the splash of green was a dead giveaway to their identity. He shoved his phone into his pocket without taking the time to end the call. He glanced around. There was a small grocer across the street that was open with large British and Korean flags hanging in the front window.

"This way," he said as he pulled on Bae's hand to start her across the street. They didn't run, but trotted between cars like regular people. It didn't matter. The thug was good, and crossing the street drew his attention. Rob saw the man reaching under his shirt, and that could mean only one thing. Rob jerked Bae as he began running, almost pulling her down as he did. They charged into the store, the man chasing them angling toward them as he also ran.

People stared at them as they charged into the store, Rob whirling toward the door as he drew his weapon.

"Federal Marshal! Get down!" he bellowed as he brought his weapon up and pointed it at the door. That got everyone moving and the few people in the store disappeared behind shelves. He stood in his shooting stance, his weapon unwavering as it pointed at the front of the store. The man didn't show. He knew Rob would be waiting.

"Move back," Rob hissed as they shuffled toward the back of the store. When he no longer had a clear line of fire to the windows, he ducked behind the shelving before they hurried down the aisle to the back of the store. There was a large opening with heavy plastic strips, once clear but yellowing and scared with age, hanging to form a door. He led Bae through them into the stock room. There was a large double door, probably used for bringing in goods, but there was a heavy chain wrapped around the handles with a pad lock.

"Shit!" he snarled as he jerked on the lock in case it wasn't latched. It was. The chained and locked doors violated all kinds of fire and safety codes, but Rob had bigger issues on his mind. He drew his weapon again.

"Are you going to shoot it off?" Bae murmured.

"No. Too dangerous," he said as he moved back to the plastic strips that formed the door.

"More dangerous than this?" she cried, her incredulity clear.

"That only works in the movies, and I don't want a bullet ricocheting around in here." He pulled his phone from his pocket and handed it to Bae. "Call SDM Caswell. Tell him where we are," he said as he peeked between the strips and watched for movement.

Customers and employees had probably cleared out, so if anyone was moving in the store, it was likely the gorilla who was after them. Rob couldn't shoot at movement, but it made him feel better that a lot of innocent people wouldn't be standing around in the line of fire if he did have to discharge his weapon.

"Where are we?" Bae asked.

"Fuck, I don't know! Tell him it's the grocery store with the Union Jack and Korean flags in the window."

He heard Bae speaking into the phone, but he ignored her. This was a good location, a location he could hold, and time was on their side. The goon was going to have to make his move, and soon, or it'd be too late.

"He said five minutes."