Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Devil's Due ❯ - 41 - ( Chapter 41 )

— 41 —

February 12, A.C. 205. Base. 9 pm

Jordan steepled his fingers as he sat on the couch in his living room, thinking. His day had turned long after he’d gotten Raul and Riley’s reports…starting with Raul himself.

It was interesting to see Raul obviously not telling him something. He’d always wondered if the men of the group would be able to keep information from him, and keep him from noticing both…but evidently Raul didn’t have that skill.

So what was it? Had Xane done something deeper than had been reported? Could it be a passing thing? Maybe Riley had done something? There were several options connected to that particular circumstance…and it ranged anywhere between severe and pointless.

“You look all pensive,” Richard noted, moving from Quatre’s room to climb over the back of the couch and slide down next to the older man. “What’s up?”

“Do you know what I do?” Jordan returned, turning to focus on him with interest.

“Spy, right?” Richard grinned at him.

Jordan nodded, grinning slightly. “I have work on my mind.”

“You were being pissy last night,” Richard reminded him.

“I got over it,” Jordan retorted, rolling his eyes…which hurt somewhat from the lovely black eye his friend had given him. “We do that, you know?”

Richard frowned slightly at that, then shrugged and looked away. “Sorry.”

“Same,” Jor agreed, sighing heavily. “You okay?”

The kid nodded and frowned. “Mom and Dad are heading back tomorrow…I kinda don’t want to go.”

“You could stay,” Jor noted, considering him, “but I know for me I’m about to start really working…I’m gonna have to go in on time in the mornings…most of my team will be back by the end of the week, so I have to decide if I want to give up on all the stuff we have going on and pull them all back…so I’m not going to be able to keep you around. My shit’s all special case, so you can’t know details on it.”

Richard frowned more.

“Tro’s gonna be testing his machines with his guys, and there’s no way for you to do more than stand there and watch them after the shit we pulled yesterday…and you never did get in with Wufei. Chance just got hi-jacked into some political crap, so he won’t have any spare time…which leaves you with your uncle. I’m not sure if he’s got anything serious on the radar or not.”

“Just training,” Quatre returned, moving from his room. “You should probably go home, huh?” he frowned at his nephew. “I like having you here and stuff, but we’re about to head back into the mundane.”

The kid frowned more.

“Well,” Chai muttered, moving through the front door almost resignedly, “Mom is the same as always.”

Jordan frowned at her, extending his arms to her.

“She was bitching at me that she’s had no idea where Nick was for the past month,” Chai explained, sliding onto her husband’s lap and collapsing there. “And then Lars started in on me about my marrying the wrong man.”

“If I’m the wrong man, does he think Traumer was the right one?” Jordan asked dryly. The younger of his two brothers-in-law was annoying, true, but he’d built up a tolerance.

Chai sighed, shifting more into his arms.

“Sorry,” Jor muttered, kissing the top of her head and holding her tightly to his chest. “That wasn’t fair.”

“Nick realizes he shouldn’t sell that necklace, right?” Quatre asked warily, moving around to see her face. “I don’t mean anything against him, but gundanium sells pretty well.”

“I think he’ll keep it,” she returned, frowning slightly. “He knows it’s what’s keeping everything away…and when I’m not there and it’s still working he’ll probably trust it more.”

“You are special,” Quatre mused almost to himself, running a hand through her hair before starting into the kitchen.

Richard studied Jordan’s face as the man rested back where he sat, then looked after his uncle. When the man was out of sight, he focused back on Jordan. “That doesn’t bother you?”

“What?” Jor asked blankly, meeting his eyes. “Does what bother me?”

“My uncle just totally touched your wife,” Richard retorted.

“Yes, he did,” Jordan agreed, nonplussed. “What’s your point?”

“Most men don’t like that.”

“Most men aren’t as good in bed as me.”

Chai started laughing and hit him in the chest as she sat up.

Jordan grinned innocently at her, then grinned at the slightly embarrassed teen.

“The only person who’d bother him for touching me is Trowa,” Chai noted to the boy with a wink. “I don’t know why it’s Trowa, but it is.” She started for the kitchen.

“Trowa would totally try to screw her,” Jordan informed the youth happily. “He’d so totally try to seduce her…and I’ve never gotten confirmation that I’m better in bed than him.”

Quatre and Chai both started laughing.

Jordan grinned more at the boy, then stood and stretched.

His family was home, it wasn’t fair to them for him to brood.

- -

February 14, A.C. 205. Fuzhou, China. 2 pm

“You need to take care,” Raul muttered quietly to Xane in English, studying his eyes seriously. “You’re out of time.”

“Shut-up,” Xane returned, shaking his hand. Raul gave him a pointed sort of look. “Take care of yourself, I’m protected in this set-up, you’re not.”

“Kody?” Juan asked with an almost uncertain catch in his voice.

“I’m coming,” Raul returned, shaking hands with Chao as well. “Take care, you two.”

Chao smiled back, stepping back to grab Xane’s hands as the men disappeared into the airplane.

“You gonna hang out at my place a while after we get back?” Juan muttered to Raul as they waved out the windows at the people on the ground.

“I dunno, I kinda want to hit my apartment,” Raul returned, dropping back into his seat.

“Want me to come?” Juan tilted his head with an almost innocent curiosity. “We can…rent movies, order pizza?”

Raul met his eyes, then grinned slightly at him. “Sure…sounds like a plan.”

Juan grinned happily at that, then turned and bounced back to his seat to buckle.

“I’ve got the clear,” Nhean noted to them from up front. “Are we ready?”

“I’m missing my stripper,” Raul returned, looking around.

The man flashed him a wicked grin, sitting back properly.

“If you really really want a stripper…” Juan started.

Raul gave him a look…and Juan grinned innocently at him.

- -

February 14, A.C. 205. Base. 2 am

“We’re going in, sir,” Riley noted as she stood with the Chinese strike-force.

“Keep him alive, Mae,” Jordan noted from where he was standing on his front porch with a cigarette between his lips. “That’s not just an order. If I lose my second…”

“Maxwell,” Riley said levelly, “don’t offend me. I would no more lose Featihl than I would Duvall.”

“Just get your job done,” he snapped…and closed the phone.

It was going to be a great Valentine’s Day with this hanging over his head.

- -

February 14, A.C. 205. Fuzhou, China. 6 pm

“Aren’t we going home soon?” Xane muttered tiredly to Chao from where he’d been sitting on a couch in the man’s office. “I’m tired…”

“I’m sorry,” Chao returned, looking up at him. “I have another call…then we can go.”

Xane sighed heavily, looking back out the window.

He was scared.

He had no idea how the hell he was supposed to get out of China without losing lives. He couldn’t break-up with the man, because then the man could very well call for his death or threaten him into staying with him… He could only think of running…and that would not end well…

There was a loud grinding sound from outside, and Chao looked toward the windows in alarm.

“What is that?” Xane asked, though his skin was crawling.

A hanger was opening…the hanger was opening.

Chao jumped from his seat, darting for the door to the room as the noise level of alarm spread.

“Fuck,” Xane whispered, darting after the man.

Had Raul? Had Jordan? Maybe Riley? Who’d told that the suits were in the hanger? Was that really working in their favor? Where was Shire?

Chaoxiang typed the pass-code into the keypad in that hall as men came running up, jumping up to hit the button to keep the door open…and they darted into the hanger.

“What do we have here?” a colonel muttered as they spilled into the main hanger area…the man was looking up at the three suits, then turned his head to look at the men who’d followed Chao.

Riley was standing behind him in a uniform, her eyes moving over the crowd.

“Fuck…” Xane muttered again, looking to the suits, then around at the soldiers filing into the room with weapons.

“Shut-up,” Chao snapped at him, then looked up to the suits with a feigned display of shock.

“Xu Chaoxiang,” the colonel said calmly, “you are under arrest.”

“For what!?” Chao protested in dismay, looking back to the man.

He got a very level look in response…then the colonel turned and gestured at the men. “Arrest everyone in the building…now.”

The soldiers started moving as a massive amount of people turned to run toward the main building.

“Chris…” Chao muttered, turning to him and pulling him in close…and kissing him deeply. “I love you.”

“I love you,” Xane whispered back, blinking at the man…as Riley moved forward and yanked Xane back to start cuffing him…reading him his rights…

Chao wasn’t fighting the men cuffing him…and neither were his cohorts…but his eyes never left Xane’s face.

- -

February 14, A.C. 205. Fuzhou, China. 9 pm

“And why do you expect us to believe that Chris Torwin is innocent in all of this?” the officer demanded of Chao in disbelief. “He was living with you.”

“He was…but…he had nothing to do with the operations.” Chao looked out the window tiredly. “He was…just…with me.”

“So what do you want us to do?” the man asked dryly. “He was in the building with you. We’re going to have to charge him the same as the rest of you.”

“No!” Chao protested, coming partially up from his seat. “He had nothing to do with it! He was just with me!”

“In the building?”

“No! He’s my lover!” Chao looked very irritated.

The man blinked at him.

“He’s innocent,” Chao persisted.

“Then it looks like he won’t be charged,” the man muttered, looking toward the windows himself.

Chao sighed in relief.

“Please, excuse me,” the man noted, turning toward the door. “I need to spread the news,” he turned his head to look back the man. “Make no mistake. Chris Torwin will not be charged…but he will be deported.”

Chao started to his feet again in dismay…and the man shut the door behind himself.

- -

Xane looked tiredly up from his cup of coffee as another man entered the room. “Well?”

“Oh, he’s cleared Chris Torwin of all plausible charges…aside from living with him,” the man explained happily. “He didn’t actually say anything when I said he’d be deported.”

Xane looked away again.

“All right,” Riley muttered, moving into the room from the next one. “Let’s go, Featihl.”

Xane sighed and rose to his feet.

“Make a scene and break in there to tell him goodbye,” Riley added, considering his face a moment. “We’ll come pull you out and put you back in cuffs.”

Xane nodded and settled himself where he stood…then darted forward and slammed into the room.

“Chris!” Chao muttered, jumping up.

“Torwin!” someone shouted from behind.

“They’re deporting me,” Xane informed him, flying into his arms.

“That’s what they said…” Chao started.

Xane leaned up and kissed him…as Riley yanked him back from the man.

“Let’s go, Torwin.”

“Wait…” Xane protested, pulling away again and leaning up to kiss him once more. “Goodbye…”

Riley pulled him back again in irritation…and snapped him in cuffs. She shook her head as Chao stepped forward, then shoved Xane out the door as the officer slammed it shut behind him.

Xane marched like that down the hall a ways until they were near the exit, then Riley uncuffed him again and they stepped into a lobby. He sighed heavily. “What now?”

“Now we get your shit,” Riley retorted, “then we go home.”

Xane frowned, looking back to her. “He said Wednesday.”

“You just got arrested and deported from China, Chris,” she noted dryly. “We’re going home.”

Xane gave her a very upset look, then sighed and nodded…and followed her from the building.