The door opened to Kaely, but it wasn't Jared, Leo, Dex or Eliot. As soon as she saw the gun, she swung the door closed on McMillan, but he shoved his foot in the way and stopped the wood before it slammed in his face. In a flash, McMillan's rough, steady hands were on her arms and he was tugging her back into the room, slamming the door closed behind her. She let a low growl escape the back of her throat before McMillan dragged her into the room where she found Jared at gunpoint, O'Connor holding the weapon, with Leo, Dex and Eliot all standing and sitting around each other in front of them.
"Get your hands off me," Kaely growled, attempting to yank her good arm away from her perpetrator. McMillan's grip, however, was strong and steady and he pulled her harshly back into him, the cold metal of a gun pressing up against the small of her back. She stopped struggling immediately. Jared narrowed his eyes.
"If you hurt her, I swear to God I'll–"
"You'll what?" McMillan taunted. "She'd be dead before you could finish that sentence."
"Don't be stupid," Jared snapped. "She doesn't know anything; you kill her and what will you get? Just another dead body."
"We handle dead bodies more than you might think," O'Connor replied, his deep voice barely more audible than a whisper.
"You wouldn't," Kaely hissed. "Let me go before you do something you're gonna regret."
"Calm down," McMillan sighed, the gun pressing harder into her back. "We'd rather not kill you if we can avoid it."
"Well, that's no fun," Leo murmured, earning a glare from Jared.
"We want to make sure that whatever you're doing here won't ever come to pass," O'Connor told them. "Whoever you're planning to kill, don't do it. We have men hunting your van down as we speak; if you kill anyone, you'll have nowhere to go."
Jared sighed. "I almost forgot," he muttered. "You're still intent on believing we are behind all the murders."
"Why would it be us?" Dex growled. "I wouldn't kill my own brother; who do you take me for? Cain?"
"The bible won't sanctify what you've done," McMillan sighed. "We're not turning you in, and we're not going to kill you. Prove that you're not behind these murders and we will help you. Leave while you can."
"There's no point in leaving," Eliot said angrily. "No matter where we go, they know where we are and they plan the killings to perfection. We don't even have to be in the area; as long as we're sighted in the city, they'll kill."
"Well," O'Connor scowled. "That sounds awfully convenient."
"It's true," Jared protested. "They know our every move; it's like clockwork. We show up, they kill someone, and we get the blame."
"Then you need to find the killer before they strike," McMillan replied. "Stop them from killing the next target. Do this, and we will believe you."
"And if we don't want to risk the lives of everyone in the area?" Leo snapped, and McMillan cocked his head sideways.
"Then don't expect to be getting out of Sydney with five," he shot back, nodding down to Kaely. "She'll be the first to go."
Then, the pressure on her back was released and she was shoved forward into Jared before the Feds were out of the room and they were all alone once again.
"God, I'm so sorry," Kaely rambled on, but Jared had both hands on either of her shoulders as she looked up at him.
"It wasn't your fault," he assured her. "They came in as soon as you rounded the hallway corner. They knew we were here."
"Ugh, I feel horrible," she groaned, moving over to the bed to flop down into its soft sheets.
"It could have been worse," Eliot suggested, and Kaely snorted, smothering her hands in her face.
"Oh yeah?" she muttered.
"They could have actually killed us," he finished, and Kaely groaned again before the bed dipped beside her.
"You're not going to get rid of me, are you?" she asked as she glanced sideways at Jared. "You won't let me go?"
He didn't look at her when he spoke, but he was convincing. "I promise," he assured her quietly. "You're with us now. Do you believe me?" Kaely sighed and threw her arms up in defeat.
"I don't know, maybe," she admitted, and Jared laughed as he stretched his legs out in front of him with his arms up behind his head. Kaely, beside him, tucked her legs up in a slight arch before her, her elbows resting on them gently.
"So, what now?" Eliot sighed, collapsing on one of the other beds. "Do we listen to the Feds?"
"If we do," Leo murmured, "then we're going to have to stop the killer before they strike. We've already mapped out the area; L'Estrange Park is where it's going to happen, and I'm pretty sure I know who they're going after."
"Who?" Eliot asked, suddenly interested.
"Monroe Hemmings," Leo explained. "Year seven math teacher. If we're going to do this, we'll have to make an appearance on the scene; if it fails, we're going to go down hard."
"But if we don't risk it and just leave," Dex finished, "then they're going to kill Kaely."
"Oh, don't be ridiculous," Kaely muttered. "They won't kill me; not if I know so much that they don't. If anything, it'd just make it a bad idea to leave me alone tomorrow."
"But if we do go after Hemmings, you can stay; someone can just stay with you," Jared suggested, dropping his arms when Kaely swung her hand gently to hit his chest.
"No, I'm not staying here," she protested. "I know I stuffed up but at least you won't have to worry about me if I'm with you."
"You're not coming with that shoulder of yours," Jared argued. "Stop being stubborn and start realising that we're doing this for you."
"The Feds will be through that door before you can even reach your car and you know it," Kaely hissed. "You're being unrealistic; it'll be quicker to get out of here without having to come back and deal with them to get me, alright?"
"She's got a point," Eliot sighed.
"I agree," Dex added. "It'll be quicker, and they don't expect us to have caught a flight in let alone catching one out. I can take her to the airport, and you can meet us there once you deal with Hemmings."
Leo held his thumbs up to agree with the others, which left Jared with no other option but to sigh in defeat.
"Okay, fine," he grumbled. "Fine."
Kaely grinned. "Thank you," she said to him. "I won't let you down, I promise." When he didn't answer, she smiled and turned over so her back was to him, pressing her head deeper into the pillow it was on.
"What're you doing?" Jared asked, and Kaely closed her eyes.
"Sleeping," she called back. "I'm exhausted."
"Alright." Jared went to get up, but Kaely reached out to grab his wrist before he could stand.
"Stay," she murmured, dropping her hand to settle back into her sleeping position. She felt him hesitate, but he sank back down onto the bed beside her, stretching his legs out again.
"That's adorable," someone whispered, but Kaely was already sleeping.
Kaely woke later that night, around eight. Her hair was tame around her head, and the room was settling into a coolness that made Kaely appreciate the jumper she was wearing. Jared was still next to her; he hadn't left when she asked him to stay. She didn't know why, but she appreciated it. His presence just calmed her in a way that she couldn't fully recognise yet.
She turned around and sat up, leaning forward to rub her eyes as she let out a little yawn.
"Oh, you're up," a voice that sounded like Eliot's muttered from in front of her. "Your timing? Terrible."
Kaely frowned as her eyes focused and she saw Eliot sitting across from her, against the wall on the floor with a scowl on his face. Beside him, Dex, with a frown on his own face. Finally, Leo manned the window while the last figure stood by him, her arms crossed over her chest.
Wait, what?
The woman was probably the same age as the guys, and was leaning back against the wall next to the closed off window with her wavy blonde hair tied up behind her head loosely. She was wearing a pair of cargo pants with a dark shirt, and her combat boots were leaning back against the wall behind her. Her pink lips were pursed in annoyance as her pale, olive skin played with the shadows on her sharp cheekbones. Her eyes – outlined thickly in black – were a bright, flashing kind of green, and they were watching Kaely cautiously.
"Uh, am I interrupting something?" she asked hesitantly, slipping slowly off the bed.
"Yes," the woman said at the same time Jared called, "no." Kaely bit her lip, but waved her hand behind her head as she went for the bathroom. She shut and locked the door behind herself. After using the toilet and washing her hands, she splashed some water on her face, took a deep breath and walked out, approaching Eliot and Dex.
"So, who's this?" Kaely asked, taking the bowl of packet-pasta Eliot had warmed up for her to the round table that stood beside him, crossing her legs on one of the chairs as she faced the room in front of her.
"Kaely," Eliot sighed as he came to sit in the chair beside her, "this is Lexus. Vice versa. Lexus is one of Jared's mates." He looked like he was trying not to scowl as he spoke, so Kaely assumed he wasn't on good terms with this girl. How come he didn't mention her before, considering he didn't like her?
"You're just jealous that Jared knew me first," Lexus shot back, and Eliot screwed his face up in distaste.
"My, you like bringing that up, don't you?" he scowled. "In the end, he likes me more."
Jared looked at Eliot disapprovingly, who turned to pull a face at Kaely. She giggled.
"Guys, she is here to help us," Jared scolded them. "It'd be best if you didn't torment her."
Eliot grimaced and Kaely glanced around as she ate her food, trying not to be more of a problem than she needed to be.
"Right," Lexus murmured. "So, considering you should ignore the feds and get the hell out of here despite the fact that this is the girl you'll be risking," she glanced with distaste at Kaely, who didn't hide her own angst either, "I think it'd be wise to try and save Hemmings. It might be a long shot, but at least the Feds will believe you regardless of what happens. And that could be a huge advantage."
"Bite me," Kaely snapped, and Lexus sighed.
"You really shouldn't have kept her," she muttered. "You know, it's probably not too late to just drop her off somewhere safe and be done with it. She's been shot, right? She'll only slow you down."
"Sorry," Kaely announced with a frown, "but who are you, again?"
"Oh, I'm part of the team, sweetie," Lexus smirked. "I'm just careful and haven't made it to the big screen yet."
"Okay, can we just tone down the dramatics, please?" Jared asked, and Kaely glared at him.
"Oh, I'm glad you find my 'death threat' to be funny," she snapped, and Jared looked at her in surprise.
"This is the opposite of funny, Kaely," he replied tensely, "which is why Lexus is here, actually. To help you."
"You promised me!" she hissed, putting her bowl down before she threw it across the room. "Just today, you promised me you wouldn't let me go."
"Things change in dire situations," Lexus replied for him. "You're a burden none of us need." Kaely wouldn't have let this stranger bother her, but it was the amusement in her tone that made her get up from the table and walk right out of that room. After a delay, Eliot joined her in the hall, and they were walking out of the hotel together.
"I've had to put up with that for as long as we've been on the run." Kaely looked at him as they came out into the open, under the gaze of the dark night sky.
"And you haven't ripped her head off yet?" she demanded, leaving Eliot to laugh with her.
"I would have if Jared weren't close to her," he muttered, "but they're practically inseparable. It's impossible; he'll always favour her."
"There is no way I'm standing for that for as long as you have," Kaely muttered, rubbing her forehead sleepily. "I'd burn before I'd care about her." And Eliot grinned.
"I won't disagree."