InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Hijacked Honeymoon ❯ Chapter 17

Hijacked Honeymoon

 

Chapter 17

 

After making love all afternoon, Sesshomaru and Kagome were taking a nap. When the ringing of the cell phone roused him, Sesshomaru came fully awake. Kagome appeared to be sleeping so soundly that he padded into the living room before answering, so as not to wake her.

 

With an unfamiliar number on the caller ID, he didn't bother to keep the gruffness from his tone, sure that it was either a sales call or a wrong number that had pulled him out of his very comfortable position next to Kagome. “Hello?”

 

“I need to speck to Kagome,” a woman with a strong Southern accent demanded.

 

“Who is this, please?”

 

“It's Sango.”

 

Sesshomaru hadn't realized that Kagome had given her friend this number. While he wasn't concerned that the call could be traced since the Shey Groups communications system would encrypt both sides of the conversation and couldn't be traced back to Kagome, he was irritated that she hadn't mentioned giving the number to her friend. “Sango, Kagome's asleep.”

 

“Wake her up. It's an emergency.”

 

At the edge of panic in Sango's voice, Sesshomaru's irritation vanished. He shook Kagome's shoulder. “Anything I can do to help?”

 

“I don't know.” Sango drew in a loud breath and let it out in a sigh as if trying to gain control of her panic. “Someone tried to kill me.”

 

“Hold on. Kagome needs to hear this, too. I'm putting you on speakerphone.” Sesshomaru made sure she was awake, took a moment to enjoy the tender look in her eyes when she first saw him before noting the cell phone in his hand. “It's Sango. She thinks someone tried to kill her.”

 

“I don't think.” Sango spoke clearly. “I know it.”

 

“What happened? Are you okay?” Kagome demanded, her eyes wide, her voice worried.

 

“After I left you guys at my place, I drove home and spent the night with my parents.”

 

“Are you okay?” Kagome interrupted.

 

“Everyone is fine.” Sango's voice trembled. “But we had a fire at the house. We all got out, but everything my parents owned is gone.” Her voice broke. “Everything. Photographs from four generations, my grandmother's antiques, the mementos of a lifetime. All gone.”

 

Kagome swept a lock of hair from her face. “Oh, Sango. I'm so sorry.”

 

Sesshomaru hardened himself against the loss. While he was sympathetic, he had to go into strategic mode. “You mentioned attempted murder?”

 

“I'm getting to that,” Sango said. “The fire wasn't accidental but definitely arson. We could smell the gasoline fumes as we escaped, and the fire chief confirmed an accelerant had been used. We all figured one of Dad's business enemies had finally caught up with him…until this morning.”

 

“What happened?” Kagome asked, reaching for Sesshomaru's hand and holding on tight.

 

“I headed to work and this truck came out of nowhere and ran me off the read. I would have put it down to an accident but the driver shot at me.”

 

“Oh, my god.”

 

“He shot out side the side window in the rear on the passenger's side. Forensics pried the bullet out of the back seat and are running it through their system, but I don't expect they'll find a match to a registered weapon.”

 

“Does anyone have reason to mad at you?” Sesshomaru asked. “an ex-husband, ex-lover?”

 

“No, but I'm a newswomen. I probably have lots of enemies.”

 

“What about Nancy Wilcox?” Kagome asked. “She was furious when your father bought the station and you got the job she'd wanted.”

 

“Nancy moved to California two weeks ago and is anchoring in Sacramento. I doubt she's still jealous of me.”

 

“Have you exposed anyone lately?” Sesshomaru persisted, trying to discount as many possibilities as he could. “A politician? A crime figure?” Sesshomaru asked.

 

“Look, in my job it's possible a television viewer could be angry with me or the station. While there are a lot of wackos out there, we haven't received any threats. Local news has been slow. The only one who might have a reason to be mad at me is Hojo.”

 

“Have you seen him?” Kagome asked, and Sesshomaru realized by the sharpness in her tone that she now believed Hojo might be capable of murder.

 

“Hojo called my cell last night. He wanted to know if I'd seen you and asked about the trouble at my condo.”

 

Sesshomaru swore. “That was supposed to have stayed quite.”

 

“The attack never made the news. But Hojo's FBI buddies must have caught a whiff of the story. I'm not sure how he knew. The bastard pretended to be all concerned but he was fishing for information. And he wasn't that smooth about it.”

 

“What did you tell him?” Sesshomaru asked.

 

“I said I was alone. There was a break-in. that the guy crashed through the window, landed wrong and broke his own neck on impact.”

 

“That was good think, Sango,” Kagome told her friend.

 

“Yeah, you think fast on your feet,” Sesshomaru added his admiration.

 

“Well, I don't think Hojo believed me. He called again today, right after I was run off the road and asked if I'd heard from you. I lied, of course. And when he asked why I'd pulled the story about you being missing from the news, I told him that between the fire and the car accident, I had enough troubles of my own. I know that was lame—but I didn't know what else to say. Sorry.”

 

Sango, there's no need to apologize. You did well.” Kagome turned to Sesshomaru. “We have got to help her.”

 

“Agreed. Sango, I'm going to call Kincaid and ask him to send one of our people to protect you.”

 

“I'd appreciate it.”

 

“In the meantime, go to the police station and sit in the lobby until someone calls/ I'll have out guy identify himself by using the code phrase `black clouds.' You do whatever he says, okay?”

 

“Okay.”

 

“Sango?” Kagome's worry clouded her eyes.

 

“Yeah?”

 

“I'm sorry I got you into this.”

 

“It's not your fault. It's Hojo's. somehow, we've got to nail this guy.”

 

“Agreed.”

 

Sesshomaru let the two women speak while he used his own cell to phone Kincaid and informed his boss of the situation. After he made arrangements with Kincaid, he wasn't surprised to fine the women still talking. The talk had turned personal, about him and Kagome. He caught just the tail end of the women's conversation—something about Kagome's confusion about her feelings.

 

However, once Kagome realized he was listening she stopped speaking, giving Sesshomaru the chance to inform them, “Miroku Cantral will arrive in Alabama in less then an hour. He's hitching a ride on a military jet out of MacDill Air Force Base. Sango, the guy is ex-military, you can trust him. He has your cell phone number and will call you as soon as he lands—if your batteries are still charged.”

 

“No problem. I always carry a spare.” Sango paused. “I'm walking through the front doors of the police station now. I should be fine. But you stay in touch.”

 

“You, too.” Kagome turned off the phone, her gaze thoughtful. “I hate that she's in danger. We have to put a stop to Hojo.”

 

Uh-oh. Sesshomaru didn't like the determined look on Kagome's face. “Stopping Hojo is not my job. And right now, we have to get out of here.”

 

“Why?”

 

“Because Hojo's going to monitor Sango's cell. While he can't identify who she spoke to, or listen in on our conversation, he might be able to pinpoint our location. And he's going to wonder who she could have been talking to that could encrypt a call. We're lucky she'd a reporter. She could have been conversing with someone from Pentagon for a story, but Hojo is going to cover his bases. So we have to stay ahead of him.”

 

Kagome wound the sheet around her as she leaped out of bed. “I'll be ready to leave in ten minutes.”

 

“Five would be better.”

 

A/N two chapters in one night, go me. Well hoped you like it. R&R