"Blown Cover"

[Xee]

The hole time Joan sat in the car she didn't say anything just sat, fighting back the prickle of tears. Her anger mounted as Robert just drove didn't even try to offer an explanation. Her family was now in danger and he did not have the back bone to tell her why.
As they slowed and finally stopped Rob suddenly jumped out. Joan shook ... was he going to bump her off?
He pulled out the bag and looked into it on the hood of his car.
Smiling Robert gestured to her to get out. Joan's hand shook as she opened the car door. Getting out she kept her back hidden so he couldn't see the gun down the back of her pants.
Eyeing him waying up her options she felt their was nothing left to do. Putting her hand behind her she pulled out the gun, flicked off the safety and pointed it at Robert. "I don't want to die." She choked the threat of tears becoming reality. They slid down her cheeks to her chin.

 

[Tony4Prez]

"I don't want to die." Joan said.

"Neither do I," Robert agreed, staring at the gun she was leveling -- with shaking hands, which was even scarier -- at his chest. "So ... if you wouldn't mind putting that away...? I won't try to take it from you, although ... I would rather you gave it to me. But ... for now ... if you wouldn't mind just ... not pointing it at me ...?"

John had seen his share of people shot before -- he'd shot a few of them himself -- and one thing he'd learned over the years, is that when people unfamiliar with guns aimed them at others, some one often did in fact get shot ... usually on accident.

Of course, there was the possibility that Joan was very familiar with guns. He wasn't sure which was better: a shaky woman who might twitch in panic and blow a hole through his heart; or a confident, gun-toting Assistant who would very intentionally blow a hole through his heart.

He hadn't planned on telling her this unless it became necessary later; or, should she stick with him for a bit, he simply felt that it was necessary to clue her in. "Joan ... your family...? I called them, as I promised. But ... they aren't in Canada with ... Auntie Mildred, wasn't it?"

Her expression altered, as he'd expected. He gave her a take it easy gesture with raised hands, adding, "They are in protective custody ... my protective custody ... so, please ... put the gun away before you accidentally kill the only person who can get your family back for you ... okay?"

 

[Xee]

Her hands shook as he looked at her. Joan lowered the gun taking a deep calming breath, "I told you to get them out of the country... Where are they?"
More from anger she shook, her day had gone from normal to a Knight and Day sequel. Growing up around a red blooded american male and older brother Joan knew guns but sure as hell didn't like unknown people shooting them.
"Who the fuck are you any way?" Joan tried to put as much contempt in her voice as she could but her kind face kind of made it pointless.
Flicking the safety on the gun she leant against a chain fence.

 

[Tony4Prez]

Robert zipped the bag up again, moving to the open window to toss it back into the front seat, knowing that to put it in the back meant feeding Meat. He opened the back door and checked the dog's injury; he had in fact been shot, but the bullet was a through and through that had done little damage, and even the bleeding had now ceased, for the most part. He smiled as he looked at the other damage -- that that Meat was doing to the car's interior -- and wondered how the owner was going to explain it to the insurance company when at last the car was in his custody.

He moved back to the car's front end, leaning back against it just a couple of feet from the still-armed Joan. He answered her question, in a round about way and with only as many details as he felt were necessary to get her to understand what he was and -- more importantly -- what he wasn't.

"I'm a freelancer. Sometimes I work for the government. Sometimes I work for companies. Sometimes I work for individuals. Regardless who it is, I"m usually doing things that ... well ... to put it simply, I'm usually doing things that those people don't want to do themselves."

He wasn't sure how to explain the legal versus illegal end of his work, so he simply skipped it, hoping -- without a lot of hope -- that she wouldn't bring it up.

"The problem ... like now, our current situation ... is that sometimes, what I do ... it makes some people ... let's call it a tad bit upset. Right now, someone's a tad bit upset with me. Problem is ... I have no idea who it is."

He jabbed a thumb toward the bag in the front seat. "That ... that's everything that I have, now. Someone blew my cover, and I don't mean the current cover that I was using for my current ... job." He'd almost used the word mission, but it seemed too secret agent-ish, and he didn't want to give her the wrong impression about his true, complete identity. "Someone expose my real name. My real name, along with my finger prints, my DNA, my facial profile -- for camera recognition -- it's all out there. And ... and I have no idea who has done this to me."

He hesitated for a moment, then pulled out his cell phone and punched in a phone number. A moment later, he said, "It's me. I have someone who needs to talk to your guests. And ... what ever she tells you, goes ... Yeah, anything."

Robert handed the phone out toward Joan, saying, "Tell them what you want. Tell them where you are if you like. If you wish, you can tell my friend to let them go home. But--" He hesitated, realizing his voice was about to crack with emotion. He drew a breath, released it, and continued, "Gilroy's dead. Do what you must ... but ... just remember ... you're safer with me, and your family is safer with my friend."

 

[Xee]

Joan looked at him with sly eyes and took the phone from him. He'd not explained everything she wanted to know about what was going on but the pull of speaking to her family was too strong.
Looking down at the silver phone Joan took a deep breath, "Hello?"
Joan's father's voice answered, it was filled with concern, "Gummy Bare? What's going on?" Gummy Bare was what he'd nicknamed her when she spent a whole week in her childhood eating them and refusing to eat normal meals.
Her heart twanged with guilt and she closed her eyes trying to fight back a new wave of emotion. "Daddy I can't tell you. It's better if you don't know. You're safe with the FBI, all I can tell you is that I'm going to sort it and we can all go back to the ranch after."
The soft loving voice of Joan's mother said, "You be careful..." it cracked on the last word and Joan heard her mother sob.
Another wave of guilt. She looked sideways at Rob and added, "So where are you?"
"We don't know. It's nice though, it's like a nice motel. Kevin's happy, the little fridge is full of alcoholic drinks and we've got the run of it." Her mother chocked trying to not Joan hear. Kevin was Joan's older brother.
The sound of Kevin's kids playing a game over took Joan and a tear rolled down her cheek.
"I've got to go guys... I'll call you when I can." Joan hesitated and said, "I love you guys." Before they could respond she'd put it down.
Leaning back on the bonnet of the green car Joan berried her face in her hands, after a moment she gained control of herself. Taking a deep breath Joan turned to Rob and said, "Now what, Mr. Danger?"