Chapter 7
BOSTON

There was a parking lot behind the building in which I lived in and as I
drove my car around to park, I noticed Hawk leaning against the wall near
the entrance as if he were the door man. Of course, I was the only one that
knew him well enough who could think of him as a friendly door man and still
continue to breathe. For Hawk was no door man. Hell, he wasn't even all
that friendly. The last person I knew of that even had the audacity to call
Hawk a door man wound up in traction for several months. Hawk had used a
door to beat the man senseless.

Well, the guy had deserved it. But that was another time.

I glanced at Willow and I couldn't help but notice her reaction at seeing
Hawk. Her eyes were focused on him, and they were wide with wonder,
curiosity, and fear.

I turned the car off and turned to her. "Willow..."

I watched her as she forcibly turned away from looking at Hawk. Her eyes
looked at me. She was trembling a little. But there was a look on her
face. It was as if she were trying to work something out in her mind.

"That's Hawk," I told her softly. "He's my friend."

She looked at me.

"Willow...how can a guy named after a bird be bad?"

She turned her head and looked at Hawk through the windshield. Then she
looked at me again, questioning me with her eyes. At least I noticed that
she wasn't trembling any more.

"Hawk won't hurt you," I said. "He wants to find out who you are like I do.
We both want to help you." I paused. "Will you let us?"

Willow sat there for awhile and I gave her all the time she needed. I knew
she was working things out in her mind. She was probably wondering about
who her parents were, where she went to school, and did she have a boy
friend? If I had lost my memory, I would have been thinking along those
lines. Well, except about the part of wondering who my boy friend was.
There was something else I knew she must have been thinking.

She was probably wondering how she got here.

And the way she was looking at Hawk...it was as if she recognized him.

(((She saw Hawk standing over her, but it wasn't really Hawk. Just someone
who looked like him. Someone who watched over her and kept her safe from
the man with the snake eyes.)))

She finally looked at me and hesitated. But she nodded her head.

I climbed out of the car and moved around to open the door for her. Hawk
didn't move from the wall he was against and I knew that it was because he
wanted to give Willow her space. He didn't want to frighten her, and
believe me, he could be very frightening at times. He even scared me and
I'm as tough as nails.

I popped open my trunk and waved Hawk over. "Can I borrow your hands?" I
asked him.

He walked over slowly, looking at Willow. He stayed on one side of my car
as she watched him from the other side. "My hands won't look good on you.
I think I'll keep them." He flashed his teeth in a smile. "Better for me
than for you anyway."

"Actually, it would be better for me, Hawk," I told him. "Because it works
better if you take some groceries with your hands instead of me picking up
groceries with your hands. If the neighbors see something like that, what
will they think?"

"They think you just tryin' to be me."

Willow took a bag. She wanted to feel useful.

Hawk took two bags and because I really was a better man than he was, I took
the remaining three. But somehow, I still felt like I had gotten the raw
end of the deal. As we walked toward the entrance, Willow kept me between
herself and Hawk, but her eyes kept watching him. She seemed to be deeply
curious about him. The fear she showed earlier was gone. I took that as a
good sign.

"Hawk," I said as I adjusted my grip on the three bags of groceries, "I'd
like for you to meet Willow."

Hawk managed to open the door with two bags in his hands, the big show-off,
as he smiled at the girl. "Hello, Willow."

There's something you should know about Hawk. He wasn't the type of guy who
smiled a lot. When he did smile, it usually meant he was going to crack
open someone's head or throw someone through a window or he was going to do
a number of unkind things to someone that was best left for the imagination.
I wondered if the smile from Hawk was a frightening experience for Willow
so I looked at her with some concern.

But she was simply peeking at him from my side.

Hawk regarded me. "The girl has a name?"

I shrugged. "She just doesn't look like a Jane."

"Where'd 'Willow' come from?"

"She saw something in the park that caught her eye. We went to look at it
and, well, it was a tree. A great big Weeping Willow." I paused. "She
seemed to respond to it as if it meant something to her."

We headed for the elevator. I lived on the top floor.

"She talk any?" Hawk asked.

I shook my head. "No. The doc says that her lack of speech is the same as
her lack of memory. She seems to have lost these abilities through trauma
and only time will tell if she talks at all, gets her memory back...or
both."

We stopped at the elevator and when the doors opened, Willow recoiled. The
bag of groceries she had been holding onto dropped to the floor and she
backed up as fast as she could. The wall stopped her from going any further
so she just slid to the floor, held her knees to herself and stared into the
elevator. It occurred to me that the elevator was small and confining.
Almost like a big box.

(((She saw darkness. All around her...nothing but darkness. She was
trapped. She couldn't move. The air was so thin, she could barely breathe.
Her arms were trapped behind her back. Her knees were tucked up against
her as if she had been rolled into a ball. She wanted to scream but she
couldn't...Then she felt like she was floating...floating...)))

I put my groceries down and knelt beside her. Thankfully, the elevator
doors closed, but her eyes were locked on them. I looked at her and placed
a hand gently on her shoulder.

She didn't move, and I worried about how tense her body had become.

"Willow..." I said softly. I held my hand out to her. "Willow, take my
hand."

She looked at me then as if she were coming out of a trance. She grabbed my
hand as her eyes filled with tears. She didn't know what to do and she was
looking to me for help. She didn't understand what was happening to her or
why.

"We'll take the stairs," I told her. "Okay?"

She glanced over at the elevator as if it were some kind of beast and nodded
her head. I helped her to her feet and then we picked up the groceries.

Hawk was watching us, but I noticed that he had grabbed one of my bags which
left me with two. "Stairs does the body good," Hawk said.

"I thought milk did that," I responded. "Besides, you're still so young.
I'm old and need my strength."

"Nah. You just lazy."

We headed for the stairs and we walked up five flights. My apartment was
right at the top of the stairs and we were inside at no time at all. Hawk
and I put the groceries away. He saw the prescription of MS Conton that I
had left on the counter the night before, and I was able to put it away
discreetly before he could read the label.

"Didn't know you liked candy." Hawk regarded me. "I could have brought you
some."

I shrugged and looked at Willow. She was just standing by the counter
watching us and wringing her hands nervously. She looked like a lost and
frightened little girl. My heart ached for her.

"Are you hungry?" I asked her. "You didn't eat much at the hospital. Would
you like some breakfast?"

She shrugged.

"We can have eggs and toast...or we can go for the cereal you picked out and
eat that since they won't let the rabbit eat it."

She seemed to like the idea of the cereal better than the eggs. I grabbed
three bowls and I grabbed a carton of milk from the fridge, and then I
carried them all to the table. Hawk was way ahead of the game. He had
grabbed the Trix and he had even snatched up three spoons from the
silverware drawer since I had forgotten about them. Then he joined us at
the table.

"Funny thing about the rabbit on this box." I tapped the cartoon picture of
the rabbit who was watching three kids dancing around a giant bowl of Trix.
"They put him on the cover of the cereal boxes. They even get the poor
rabbit to do commercials for them." I poured some of the cereal into a bowl
for Willow, then for myself, and then I winked at her. "But they won't let
him eat the cereal. Doesn't seem fair, does it?"

Willow put a stern look on her face and shook her head.

Hawk took the box from me. "Maybe he's just a bad bunny, 'cause I happen to
know Bugs wouldn't put up with that."

"Why is he a bad bunny, Hawk? What did he do? Steal about fourteen
carrots?"

Hawk gave me a look. "You losin' it, Bro. That was bad. Even for you."

I grinned.

There the three of us sat, eating Trix. Willow dabbled with her cereal and
she didn't finish it all, but she did eat some of it. But as we sat there,
her eyes would travel between Hawk and myself. Back and forth, back and
forth, she watched us. I was just glad that she wasn't afraid of us. She
even seemed to accept Hawk.

I glanced at him. "Did you happen to find out anything, or did you just
show up for the Trix?"

"I came for the Trix," Hawk said. He paused as he looked at Willow.
"However, there was something I did find out about."

"And that being?"

"Somebody big is out there looking for a package that was lost. In fact,
the Lost Boys were sent last night to bring the package back to its owner."
He flashed his teeth. "They were hindered."

I looked at him. "You were the hinderee." It wasn't a question.

"I was."

To myself, I cursed. I certainly didn't want to expose Willow to my
colorful vocabulary which I usually reserved for moments like this. I had
run into the Lost Boys once, and they were vicious scum of the earth. They
were street trash hoodlums who believed they were some how invincible. I
knew as Hawk did that we could not allow them to get their hands on Willow.

I would rather die before I let that happen.

"Who lost this package?" I asked.

"Well, Snake-Eyes did. That's why his boss wasn't too pleased with him."

And that was why Snake-Eyes had lost his head. The Lost Boys must have been
the ones who had carried out the execution. I looked at Hawk. "Who is
their boss? Who do they work for? Did you find that out?"

He looked at me and nodded once. "Uh-huh." Then, he asked me, "Do you like
Sushi?"

"Not with my Trix." I then realized who he meant. "S'ushi Alyssia?"

Hawk nodded.

"She's back in Boston?"

"Word is that she'll be arriving today." He paused for affect. "She'll be
in a foul mood. She'll know eventually where the package is. For a fish,
she's pretty smart."

I had tried to gather enough evidence against S'ushi Alyssia once before
about a year ago that would have proven she was involved deep into White
Slavery. But the bitch had friends in high places and the evidence had
simply disappeared. And so had she. But now she was back. She didn't like
me for good reason. I was okay with that though because I didn't like her
either. She was the only woman I had ever met that I wouldn't have minded
slapping. Or punching like a man for that matter.

I looked at Willow.

I suddenly understood why this sweet girl had been afraid of the female
nurses and doctors at the hospital. Because S'ushi Alyssia was a woman and
she had hurt Willow. Somehow. Would Willow ever remember what S'ushi
Alyssia had put her through? I was beginning to hope that Willow would
never remember. I knew what S'ushi was capable of.

"We can't let her get the package," I said to Hawk.

Hawk smiled. "She won't. 'Cause first chance I get, I's gonna introduce
little S'ushi to Charlie of the Sea and maybe if they get along nicely, they
can make little tuna's together." He flashed a smile.

I looked at him. "And you accused me of making a bad pun with my fourteen
carrots comment?"

"I been around you too long. You're starting to rub off on me."

____________________________

BOSTON-SHERATON HOTEL

"This thing weighs a ton!" Xander exclaimed as he and Giles carried the
chest to the door of their room.

Together, they put the chest down and Giles took a deep breath as he fished
out the room key.

Xander thought of Angel inside the chest as he caught his breath. "Now I
know what it means when people talk about 'dead weight'."

Giles opened the door and then he reached for the chest. "Well...l-let's
get him inside."

Xander bent to the task and the two of them tried to get through the door,
but for some odd reason, they couldn't get the chest through the doorway.
Giles frowned. It was like there was some kind of invisible barrier that
prevented them entrance to their room.

"What's wrong?" Xander asked. "Why can't we get in?"

Giles was thinking about it. "G-give me a second, Xander. It will come to
me."

"Giles," said a muffled voice from inside the chest.

Xander glanced nervously about in the hall but there wasn't anyone else
about...Damn, he thought. Except for the couple that just got off the
elevator. Oh, shit...and the lady wheeling the cleaning cart their way. He
was beginning to feel awkward.

Giles looked at Xander, but to the chest, he said, "Er, what is it...Angel?"

There was a paused. Then Angel's muffled voice said, "The room was paid in
your name?"

"Er, y-yes."

"Then it's your room. You know the drill."

Giles looked at Xander.

Xander frowned. "What is he talking about?"

Realization suddenly dawned on Giles. "Oh, er, A-Angel. You're invited."

With that done, he and Xander easily carried the chest through the doorway
and Xander kicked the door shut with his foot.

"L-let's just set this down...against the wall," Giles told Xander. He
gasped for breath. "A-and we must close those...curtains."

They set the chest down.

Xander took a deep breath and he closed the curtains while Giles turned on
the lights. He then took out a key from his pocket, unlocked the padlock
from the chest, and opened it.

Angel looked up at him from inside the chest. "Giles," he said with a
groan, "this is definitely not the best way to travel."

Giles reached in and he helped Angel up. Angel leaned on Giles to keep his
balance. Then he stood up, he stretched, and rubbed the back of his neck.
Suddenly, there was an audible crack.

Xander flinched. "Hey! That really sounded good!" He made a face.

"It felt good," Angel told him.

"I was being sarcastic." Xander looked from Angel to Giles. "Okay. So
here we are. What's our first move?"

Angel stepped out of the chest and he glanced toward the window, grateful
that the curtains had been closed. At the same time, he wished that he
could feel the warmth of the sun on his skin as a human did. As he once
did, so long ago.

"There are some people I have to see," Angel said.

Xander frowned. "Angel, I don't know how to break this to you, but unless
you can make these people come here to us, you'll have to wait until it gets
dark."

"There's no time. Our only hope is to find Willow before they put her on a
ship...or worst." He closed his eyes as the image of what he had seen at
the Funhouse came into his mind. He looked at Giles. "We have to hit the
sewers."

"Manhole covers are outside," Xander pointed out to him, "and outside is
where the sun is."

Angel looked at him. "We can get to the basement. We'll find access to the
sewers there."

Giles headed for the door. "Th-then, there's no more time to waste."

They headed for the basement.
_____________________________

BOSTON-THE WHARF...(The Villains)

She was tall and athletic. She had dark green eyes and red hair that
cascaded down her shoulders. Her name was S'ushi Alyssia and she spun
through the air, lashing out with a spin-kick that took the man full in the
face. The man fell hard against a stack of crates and he slumped to the
floor. He looked up in time to receive a kick in his ribs.

Two of them cracked.

Groaning in pain, the man tried to curl himself into a ball. S'ushi didn't
let him.

She grabbed a handful of hair and slammed him face first into the floor.
Then, she hauled him to his feet and glared into his face.

"Stand up and take it like a man," she growled at him.

The man grimaced from the pain, but he decided that to obey was the best
course of action. He stood up and tried to keep himself straight. His ribs
hurt badly and he couldn't keep the pain from showing on his face.

S'ushi backed away from him, and she turned to face David and his two boys.
She noticed that one of the Lost Boy's was missing and that the remaining
three were not too pleased about that.

Now S'ushi did not have the slightest idea why Little Mikey was missing.
But she didn't really care why anyway. After all, it wasn't her concern.

Only one thing concerned her.

"Somebody lost my toy," she said through clenched teeth, "and I want it
back!" She stopped to glare at Billiard who was standing by with three of
his thugs. Billiard had a fourth lackey but that fool was currently trying
to stand after having received S'ushi's personal greeting of hello...with
her feet of fury striking every vulnerable part of his body.

"Snake-Eyes paid for his carelessness with his life," Billiard said calmly.
"The Lost Boys saw to that." He cast a glare in their direction.

S'ushi scowled. "Snake-Eyes was one of yours," she reminded him with venom
in her voice. "He allowed the safe-house to burn and he ran out of there to
save his own miserable ass. Because of him, I'm out of a lot of money." A
look of pleasure crossed her face as she thought of her new favorite girl.
"And a lot of fun." Then a dangerous look came across her face as she
turned to fix a glare upon the man she had been toying with. He was still
standing there, trying to look like he wasn't in any pain. S'ushi smiled
and regarded Billiard. "You just can't find good help these days, can you?"

Billiard didn't hesitate. "I can handle my men."

"Oh, so can I. And a whole heluva lot better than you can."

They were in an old, abandoned warehouse on the Wharf. It was a great place
to conduct business, and it was also a great place for taking out the trash.

"You know," S'ushi began conversationally, "I've always loved to watch the
Wild, Wild West. Nobody could tame the wild west and take on the notorious
villains of the day like James West and Artemus Gordon could. They were my
heroes." She let out a sigh. "I have learned so much from watching them."

She clicked her heels together.

A knife blade appeared from out of the toe of her right boot. She suddenly
spun-kicked through the air and the blade sliced through the man's neck. He
grasped at his throat in surprise, but as the blood seeped through his
fingers, a look of panic crossed his face.

He gasped for breath.

Then he fell to his knees and he looked up at S'ushi pleadingly.

S'ushi just casually put her foot on his chest and pushed him onto his back.
She watched the life fade right out of him and it gave her such a rush.

David glanced at Marco and Damien, and he had to smile at the woman's cruel
nature. Damn, he thought, but she would make such a wonderful vampire.
Then he smirked at Billiard and his remaining thugs.

S'ushi noticed, and she smiled. She just loved the rivalry between the two
groups. She needed them both, but she liked the Lost Boys better because
they really did know how to be bad. Billiard and his thugs could be bad,
too, but they didn't do it for fun. In fact, she doubted if they even knew
how to have fun. Not everything was always about money.

Hell...the Lost Boys were just bad.

She smiled at them. "If you boys want a snack, you'd better hurry. This
man's blood will go cold when the light of life fades from his eyes."

David shook his head. "Nah. None for me, thank you." He looked at Marco
and Damien. "But if my boys want to dive in, they're more than welcome to."

Marco and Damien looked at S'ushi expectantly.

She invited them to the feast with a wave and a smile.

The man on the floor was still barely clinging to his life. His eyes
widened as he saw the two vampires approaching him. They sank their teeth
into him and they fed on him.

Some of Billiard's men looked away. But Billiard watched the scene before
him. He was furious, and yet he didn't let it show that he was.

David watched him. The look on his own face told his rival that S'ushi
liked him better.

S'ushi herself watched the feeding frenzy for a moment. Then she got bored
with it and turned to regard both Billiard and David. "I want my wittle
Willow back," she told them.

"I have men looking for her now," Billiard responded.

"I don't want them looking!" she snapped. "I want them finding! Find her.
Bring her to me unharmed, but kill whoever she is with."

"What if she's with Hawk?" David asked her.

S'ushi looked at him with genuine interest. "Hawk?"

He nodded. "He was at the hospital last night."

"And?"

"And I know Hawk. Starting a scene in a public place like that would have
only drawn unwanted attention."

S'ushi approached him. "Are you telling me that Hawk wouldn't let you in
because he was protecting her?"

He nodded again.

"If Hawk is protecting the sweet little bitch...then so is Spenser." She
smiled. "And that means he would have taken her to his renovated
firehouse."

David smiled. "Me and my boys can go there tonight."

Billiard interrupted. "Me and my boys can go there right now."

David glared at him.

S'ushi smiled. "Oooh, I just love the male testerone in here right now."
She laughed. "Needs a little hot sauce, I think." She looked at Billiard.
"You will send seven of your best men. They will bring me my girl back and
don't forget to have them kill anyone who tries to stop them."

"I will lead them myself," Billiard assured her.

"The hell you will. You're staying here with me."

Billiard wanted to protest, but he knew better.

S'ushi looked thoughtful. "Now...when I do get my girl back, I'm going to
teach her a lesson for causing me so much worry." She smiled. "Cause me
worry...I will cause you pain."
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