End Point

Chapter 10

Ash gave the signal and the men moved out of the vehicles and into the streets as silent as shadows that crowded them. They were halfway to their destination when they got the message from Vince who was the tech backup on this mission. "Her signal just started moving. You guys need to go back to the vehicles." Vince said into the comlinks.

They all stopped, and Ash gestured for them to fall back, but Adam motioned for him to stop.

"Vince, send me the map as to how she is moving. Also do you have the coordinates saved for where she was before she started moving?" Adam asked briskly.

"On your screen, and yes."

"Good." Adam was silent for a long moment as he studied the data, and then he again decided to do what he had always done; what had always saved his life; and what had led him to Ellis in the first place. He decided to follow his instincts.

"We are proceeding as if she is still at the coordinates where she was before the locator started moving. Chances are someone just got greedy and took the chopsticks. If that's wrong, we check this place out, and then we start following the locator again." Adam said quietly. "In case I'm wrong, keep an eye on the locator Vince."

"On it boss."

Ash nodded, and they started moving forward again. They were going to use knives instead of guns so that no alarms were raised before they reached Ellis.

Ash motioned two of them to go in from the back, and the rest to enter with him from the front. They all met in the center of the building. Half of them went up, and the other half, which included both Adam and Ash, went down into the basement, and towards the previous known location of Ellis Vorinski.

They stopped in front of the door. It was the last door in the basement, and the rest of the basement had been empty. They entered the room carefully; Ash sliced the neck of one of the men, while Adam's knife buried itself into the throat of the other.

"She's here." Ash called Adam, and then he swore.

Adam rushed forward. She was still tied to that goddamned chair, but one of her arms had been untied, and was hanging limply to the floor. It was broken in at least seven or eight places. Adam placed his hand at her throat. Ellis's breathing was shallow, but her heartbeat was steady. He let out a breath he hadn't even known he was holding.

Ash pulled out his knife and started cutting the ropes binding her. Ellis woke up just as Adam finished untying her, while Ash had already started binding her arm so that she could be moved with minimum pain and damage.

"I knew you'd come." She whispered.

"Sorry it took me so long." Adam said as he picked her up. Ellis rested her head against his shoulder, looking up at him with absolute trust. Ash took one look at them and did not even bother protesting that Adam was wounded and more strain would not do his back any good.

"They're going to steal the weapons they were supposed to trade me with Uncle for." Ellis whispered. Adam's eyes met Ash's and he nodded, and started speaking into his mike, warning Vince.

"Vince'll let your uncle know. My priority is to get you back, okay?" Adam said softly as they exited the building. His team fell into formation around him.

"Okay." Ellis whispered, but the pain and exhaustion was making it hard for her to focus on anything anymore. By the time they reached the vehicles, she had lost consciousness again.