NO PLACE TO HIDE

by

Sandpiper

Chapter 6

The Chapters

INTRO

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 3

CHAPTER 4

CHAPTER 5

CHAPTER 6

CHAPTER 7

CHAPTER 8

Wednesday, April 19^th

8:15 pm

It was decided that the boys would leave first in the van and Adam and Mack would watch for a tail and follow behind them. The brothers got in the van, with Frank behind the wheel and Joe in the passenger seat. “I’m not liking this,” Joe muttered.  “Maybe I ought to go tell them that this is not the best idea.”

“You and me both.” Frank sat there for a moment and sighed.  He reached for the door handle and pushed it down but before he could get the door completely open, it slammed shut with considerable force. Frank looked out the window to see Sergei smiling at him. “We meet again, Roll window down now.”

Startled, Joe moved to get out only to see Sven out his window.  Sven cocked his head to one side, studying Joe for a long moment. “You remember...”

“I didn’t send Anamaria back in to kill you. She did that on her own.”

Sven yanked open Joe’s door so fast, Joe nearly fell out. Caught off guard, Joe found the blade of Sven’s weapon at his neck before he could do more than steady himself. “That clears up a question I’ve had for nearly three hundred years. If you refused to kill me then, why send her back? Poetic justice, perhaps?” He pressed the blade’s edge against Joe’s throat and growled low in his throat. “You should have killed me then.”

Joe tried to head-butt him but hearing his brother cry out and then the solid thunk of the driver’s side door slamming distracted him. Sven let go of him and Joe did fall but caught the door’s handle to keep from landing on concrete. He pulled himself to his feet and looked over his shoulder but Frank was no longer in the driver’s seat. “Where is my brother?”

Sven narrowed his ice-blue eyes. “With Sergei. Now...you have to answer my question.”

“Give me my brother back.”

“How is it I don’t sense you? You must be an Immortal, that was three hundred years ago and you look the same. “

Joe shook his head. “No. Not Immortal. I traveled back through time.” He  groaned inwardly, knowing Sven wouldn’t believe him. Heck, it sounded farfetched even to him.

Sven’s smile widened but it was anything but friendly. “We will fight, you and me. And this time I will win. I will take your head and your brother’s as well.”

“Let’s do it. Here. Now.” Joe glared at Sven and wished he had his sword.

“Ah, no. I will name the place and time.” Sven started to turn away but then swung around and punched Joe in the stomach. “So you won’t follow me.”

Joe doubled over, fighting to breathe. “I – I can find out where you two bozos are staying.”

Sven arched a white-blond eyebrow. “Think  again.” He swung his fist right at Joe’s temple. It was the last thing Joe remembered seeing.

*** 

“That was beyond low,” snarled Frank. He was tied up in back of the small sedan and Sergei was wedged behind the steering wheel. 

Sergei laughed low in his throat. “You think? Sven likes playing dirty. Dirty games, dirty pool...dirty girls...” Sergei laughed again. “Met him in Russia...years ago. I was trying to play hero and nearly got killed for my trouble.”

“Too bad they didn’t take your head,” muttered  Frank, trying to work on the knots that held him.

“You know about Immortals, eh? Then why do you claim him as brother?” Sergei asked, shifting to look at Frank. “Sven tells me about him, three hundred years ago, letting girl do dirty work. He cannot be your brother. Kin, maybe, but not brother.”

“He is my brother. He was born seventeen years ago. The reason he met up with Sven was that...he kind of...well, there was this explosion that sent him back in time.”

Sergei arched a bushy black eyebrow. “Time bomb?” A moment later, the Russian started laughing. “Ah...that one was good. Time bomb.”

Frank ignored the man’s attempt at humor. He was too focused on Sven’s last punch and his brother sagging unconscious to the concrete. He struggled even harder with the ropes binding him, as anger flooded through him.

The smaller car rocked as Sven yanked open the front passenger door. He sat down and smiled back at Frank. “Ah...good, you saw it all. Your brother will fight me one last time.”

Frank felt a chill of fear pierce his anger. No matter if Joe was a swordfighting protégé, if Sven really was three hundred years old, Joe didn’t have a chance. Adam was right, they weren’t experienced enough for this. As the car roared off, he spared one last look for the slumped figure by the van and felt tears prick his eyes. How could he have been so stupid, not to think of the possibility of ambush?

The steering wheel looked like a toy in the Russian’s large hands. He nodded to Sven. “He tell me brother traveled through time...explosion, poof...time bomb.”

Sven barely acknowledged Sergei. He twisted around to look at Frank. “Nice little pat story you two cooked up.”

“My brother is not an Immortal.” Frank renewed his efforts to get the knots undone.

Sven studied him for a long moment and then looked at Sergei. “I do not sense him. Not the way I sense MacLeod or you.”

Sergei looked at Sven with a frown. “But you said...”

“I did not. She—” Sven glanced back at Frank. “Never mind. Let’s go.”

For a stranger to Bayport, Sergei seemed to know all the back ways. He finally pulled up in front of a modest two-story house in a quiet neighborhood. Sven got out of the car and opened the back door. He pulled Frank out, noting the loose knots. Before he could brace himself, Frank slipped an arm free and punched Sven squarely in the face.

Sven staggered back and Frank was ready to drop kick him when he felt two hands on his arms. He felt himself lifted until his feet dangled. “Let me go.”

“And let you hit me too?” asked Sergei. “No. Come quietly.”

Sven put a hand to his nose that was bleeding sluggishly. “You broke my nose,” he muttered, shooting Frank a murderous look.

Sergei, still holding Frank in the air, veered for the front door that stood open. He strode in and set Frank on the floor.  “You stay or I’ll break your...something.”

A slender woman came to the archway leading to a spacious den. “Welcome.”

Sven came in right behind Sergei. The woman didn’t blink at the blood, merely motioned Sven down the hall. “Untie him, Sergei.”

Sergei looked surprised. “He broke Sven’s nose—”

“Frank Hardy is a gentleman. He would not hit a woman, Sergei. Untie him.”

Startled, Frank looked at her, taking in the long blond hair, the piercing colorless eyes. “How do you know who I am?”

“You’d be surprised at what I know, what I pick up here and there.” She gave him an odd little smile. “I know about you for instance, oldest son of a former cop, smart, likes fencing among other things. I believe you have a lovely girlfriend...blond hair, brown eyes...”

Frank stood quietly as Sergei undid the last of the knots. He felt a cold chill wash over him. “Who are you?”

She gave him that odd little smile again. “You want to know my name? Hmm? Well, then, it’s not often I get to actually introduce myself.” She gave a mock curtsey. “Lilith Raven, at your service.”

Sergei grunted. “He told me a funny story about a time bomb sending his brother to the past. A time bomb.”

The woman stared at Sergei for a moment, not even responding to his lame joke. She turned to Frank. “Ah...so that explains it.”

Frank swallowed hard, feeling a chill creep up his spine. “Don’t tell me you’re the one who shot the Jetski.”

She shook her head, making the gold of her hair gleam in the overhead lights. “If I must share, I wasn’t interested in you or your brother. Killing children isn’t my style. I have bigger things to accomplish and it was easier to contract the assignment out.”

Frank remembered Joe mentioning Sven was a bounty hunter. Had the man also become a sniper? “So you contacted Sven?”

“Of course. He’s the best there is...or is supposed to be. I sent him to deal with you and your brother twice already.”

“You said contract. Was it Corsini?”

She blinked. “The Mafia don?” She let out an almost musical laugh. “He’s in a maximum security prison. Doesn’t get out much.”

Frank frowned. “Then who?”

Lilith arched a perfect blond eyebrow. “You really don’t know? Does it really matter? Are you one of these people who like all their ducks in a row?” She cocked her head to one side. “You definitely remind me of someone....”

Frank grunted. “It matters.”

“All right then. The man who hired me was Bernard Thorne, a pompous old ass if I ever met one. I saw no reason to let go of what I was working on to go after two children.”

Frank was stunned. Bernard Thorne was supposed to be dead. He shook his head at her reasoning. “And now?”

“You intrigue me.” She walked closer to Frank and studied him like he was a bug under glass. “You should not have been able to best Sergei and Sven. They are older than you, they’ve done more damage in more years...how is it that you bested them?”

Before he could answer, she shook her head. “That does not matter.” Suddenly, her eyes shifted, and her expression turned bland. “Sergei, show our guest to his quarters. Secure him. We have things to do.”

Frank tensed, ready to take on Sergei when the Russian came into the room. The soft click made him freeze. He saw the woman holding a gun on him. She smiled again. “One move, one reactionary move and I will shoot you. Not to kill. You’re no use to me dead right now.”

Sergei grasped Frank’s arms in his hands. “Come. Bedroom nice, no roaches. Solid locks on door and windows.”

Frank growled low in his throat. “You won’t get away with this.”

She laughed. “Oh that’s the beauty of it, Frank Hardy. I already  have.”

***

Something hard was pressing against his back and Joe groaned. His head was pounding and his stomach hurt. He opened his eyes and for a moment wondered why the hell he was outside, half in, half out of the  van.

Suddenly it all came back and he felt anger blot out the aches and pains. They had Frank. Joe grunted and pulled himself to his feet. “Damn it,” he muttered, angry. “I should have expected them to try to ambush us.”

“Are you okay?” came a woman’s voice from behind him.

Joe managed to turn without falling over. The woman was attractive with short dark hair and a slender figure. Before he could answer, she got an odd look on her face. “Ah-ha...” And then suddenly, she frowned. “What’s he doing here?”

“He who?”

“Oh, never mind. I should be used to it by now.” She moved closer. “Oh, you poor thing. I’ll get you inside. Come on.” She helped Joe get steady on his feet and they headed into the lobby, startling the night desk clerk. The young man blinked sleepily and picked up a pen. “Double or single?”

“We know where to go,” said Joe as he started for the stairs, earning a curious look from the woman. Joe stopped at a door and started knocking, almost angrily.

The door swung open rather quickly. MacLeod looked at Joe, taking in the bruise. “What happened?”

Joe swallowed hard. “Sergei and Sven have Frank.”

“Damn,” said Duncan. He glanced absently at the woman with Joe and did a double take. “Amanda?”

“Oh God...” Adam looked rather scandalized, from inside the suite. “Amanda’s here.”

“Aww, Methos, don’t sound so excited,” said Amanda, a smirk on her pretty face. She pushed past Duncan and stepped into the room. “We haven’t seen each other in ages.”

Joe followed her in. He looked over to see Adam sag, stop himself before he fell, yank out a chair from the dinette table and sink into it. He lowered his head in his hands and groaned. “Why couldn’t she have stayed in Paris?” he asked no one in particular.

“Methos?” asked Joe, puzzled.

“That would be me,” said Adam, sighing. “It’s a long story.”

Duncan looked over at Joe. “What happened?”

Joe told him quickly, adding, “He doesn’t believe the time travel thing.”

Duncan took a deep breath and shook his head. “Look, I’ll take care of Sven and Sergei.”

“You can’t fight them alone.”

“And neither can you.” Duncan grabbed his sword and started for the door.

“What’s going on?” asked Amanda, sounding puzzled. She looked at Joe and then turned to Duncan. “Mack?”

“Something I have to take care of.”

Amanda frowned and grabbed his arm. “You always say that before you go off to fight. Who this time?”

“Sven Jenssen.”

Joe shook his head, ignoring the dizziness the movement caused. “No. It’s my fight.”

“You can barely stay on your feet, boy. I’ll tend to Sven.” Duncan headed for the door.

Amanda watched him leave and muttered something under her breath that sounded French. “Damn it, MacLeod, I hate it when you go all noble on me.” She started for the door, as if to go after him.

Joe groaned. “You don’t understand. Sven will kill Frank...I have to fight him.” He felt fear and desperation well up inside him.  “I have to go.”

Amanda looked at Joe. “Then, what are you waiting for, let’s go.”

***

Frank prowled the room, searching for some way to get out. The room was on the second floor and the two windows were securely barred with thick iron bars. Frank had paced from the locked door to the bed to the windows so much in the last half hour, it was a wonder he hadn’t worn a groove in the carpet.

He sank down on the bed and sighed. The woman downstairs gave him the creeps. Sergei and Sven he could handle even though they were Immortal but the woman...

Frank shuddered. His brother couldn’t take Sven, not with swords. So far both the Immortals had been testing them, not trying to really kill them but now....He got to his feet and began to pace again. He had to get out of here, he had to stop Joe from doing something foolish and risky.

There was a click and his door swung open. The woman stood there. She was slender and with her fair skin and gold hair, she was even gorgeous, but her eyes were chilling, and cold, the irises completely void of color. “You sound like a restless tiger. Don’t like the accommodations, then? Want something with a ringside view?” She chuckled low in her throat. “Or maybe off in the wings, so you can see behind the scenes.”

“You’re twisted.”

Her smile widened. “How nice of you to notice. No...” She shook her head. “I have other things I could be doing. I don’t know why or how you and your  brother bested Sergei and Sven and frankly, I don’t much care.  But this will be dealt with tonight. No mistakes. The job will be done.”

Frank took a step back from her. “Would hate to put a black mark on a perfect record,” he said, sarcastically.

“You jest but I don’t want one. I have a reputation to die for. I’m not about to let two kids screw it over.”

Frank took a deep breath. “Do I really look like a kid to you?”

She frowned. “That’s the bad part. You don’t. You kind of remind me of someone...” She shook her head and walked over to the window. “Never mind. It would be too easy to let this get in the way of my plans.”

Frank glanced at her by the window and then took a quick look at the open door. He heard the soft snick of a gun being cocked. He took a deep breath and turned to look at her.

“Don’t even think of messing with me.”

Frank walked toward the bed and turned around as if to sit. She lowered the gun and turned her head to look out the window and grunted. “Soon this will be over and I can get out of this little town. Reminds me too much of Salem and Provincetown, all those quaint little spots on the map.”

Frank made his move. He grabbed the gun hanging loosely from her hand, and jabbed his elbow hard into her stomach, knocking her against the bookcase headboard. He jumped up and darted across the room as she fell half on the bed and rolled over. She stood up, her colorless eyes blazing. “How dare you?!”

Frank made his way to the door. “I will not lose my brother. I almost lost him once before, I will not lose him again.”

She started forward and then stopped, gazing at him as if she were looking through him. She shook her head. “No. Damn it, no.” Her eyes were flashing and her face was flushed. She looked positively furious. “I refuse to be thwarted.”

Frank pointed the gun at her. “Go out of the room first.”

“You think I’ll let you march me out of here with that gun at my back? Don’t be a fool.”

Frank spared the weapon a brief glance and then noted how light it was. “It’s not loaded.”

She smiled  and the expression was pure evil. “I’m no fool, Frank Hardy. You don’t think I suspected you’d try a last ditch effort to save your brother?”

Frank felt desperation flood through him. “Why? Why are you targeting him?”

Lilith shrugged. “No special reason. It was Sven’s choice after Barbados. I’d ordered him to kill you.”

She said it so casually Frank shuddered. “Why didn’t he?”

“Something about he recognized your brother, had a beef with him. Whatever. As long as the contract was honored, I didn’t care.”

“And the contract was for?”

“One son of Fenton Hardy, didn’t matter which one.”

Frank swallowed hard. “So Sven’s the one after Joe, it’s personal.”

“Yes. Now can I have that back?”

Frank saw the canny look on her face. “Is there one in the chamber?”

She smiled. “You’re good. You’re really good. Your reputation precedes you.”

Frank aimed the gun at her. “Maybe you don’t know everything.”

Lilith laughed softly. “You won’t shoot. You’re too decent to shoot me, unarmed and a woman at that. You’re chivalrous and a gentleman.” Her expression turned hard. “Give it to me.”

Frank found himself nearly handing it to her, when he froze. “How did you do that?”

She looked startled a minute. “I said, give it to me.”

“No.”

Lilith shifted her focus on the weapon. After a moment, the gun felt hot. Frank stared down at it, startled. It was getting too hot to hold. He dropped it and the gun went off, the bullet slamming into the crown molding by the ceiling.

Lilith dusted off her hands. “That takes care of that.”

Frank felt shock roll through him. “You’re...a witch?”

Lilith gave him a long look and shrugged. “If you want to put it that way.” She stepped closer and studied him, as if she could see beneath the layers of skin and bone. She cocked her head to one side. “I could be so easily distracted by your brother. He looks so much like—”

The telephone rang, such a normal sound to intrude on the not so normal situation. She narrowed her eyes and shifted her gaze to the hall telephone.

Frank didn’t care why the phone was ringing, he just took advantage of her distraction. He took off down the stairs and headed for the front door – only to find Sergei waiting for him.

“No, no, no. You’re running the wrong way.” Sergei smiled and rubbed his hands together.

Frank bounced lightly on the balls of his feet, making sure to stay loose and relaxed. “No. I’d say you’re in my way. I’m going through that door if I have to go through you to do it.”

“I don’t think so,” said Sven, from behind him. It was the last thing Frank heard as something slammed into his skull – and then everything went black.

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