Guilt can be the bed of nails we carry on our back, or it can be the knife that holds us up and tells us to turn around. – Felicity Miller

…a tale Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, Signifying nothing. – William Shakespeare

Against the flickering lamplight and swirling smoke, Jase caught the darkened silhouette of Drew's towering height, solid and sturdy. He held Nessa by the waist, and though she tried several times to attack him, she could not land any significant blow. At Drew's instruction, Jase climbed back through the window into the corridor and eased forward at Drew’s gestured command.

“Keep going,” the man ordered, grabbing Jase's shoulder and shoving so that Jase fell through the curtains as they passed through open doors and entered the main hall. To his disgust, Jase's eyes encountered several pairs of men's shoes, or rather, guard's boots, which attached to most of the men that Jase had, at one time or another during the night, bound and left hidden.

He noted with satisfaction that only one still held a gun, and thanked God that ammunition must be scarce or stored remotely. Still, the men’s scowls communicated clearly their gratitude for his forbearance in letting them live, all except the reluctant soldier, and several of the others kicked at Jase’s head as if to emphasize their opinion of him. One such kick landed squarely on the back of his head, and Jase reeled from the contact of a steel toe.

“Restrain your men,” Jase heard Bill command. “It is my firm policy that all refrain from violence in my presence whenever possible. I’m not a monster.”

The words elicited a resonant laugh from Jase, who, despite his circumstances, could not miss the irony. “Not a monster,'' he echoed sardonically, and Bill glared superciliously down at him.

Jase stared back at the somewhat bent, thin form that, though weakened with age, still somehow held so much power. Had he, Jase, ever been that delusional? Though his will rejected the possibility, his mind couldn't escape the truth.

If Jase allowed himself to see the truth, he knew that very little difference separated the man who gave the orders from the man who, suspecting the nature of this business, made it more successful. Jase's motivation couldn't excuse him. The fact that he had sometimes worked for the good guys couldn't exonerate him. The reality once again hit Jase just as squarely as it always did, and the blow from the soldier's boot faded into the back of Jase's consciousness.

What had he hoped to gain by coming after Bill? Redemption? Did he hope to earn Nessa's approval, turn over a new leaf? Jase knew better. He had told himself that he was going to rid the world of a great danger, remove the greatest danger from Nessa. In reality, though, he had just lured her in, attaching her to him enough that she had played a fool for him.

She wasn’t supposed to die for his pathetic self; he was. He had almost done the right thing once. He had run away from her – the only real way to save her – but he had been as selfish as ever and come back. He had suffered too much by letting Felicity go so many months ago. He didn’t feel like he could live through it again, not with Nessa who made his infatuation with Felicity seem unsubstantial. And so he had been who he was: a selfish bastard.

When the guards pinned his arms and yanked the pistol from his belt, all thought ceased. His mind echoed hollow, as if someone had rung a bell over his head, though not from the kick from the soldier. His mind reverberated with the infamy he had unleashed on Nessa Santiago.

What had he been thinking, letting her attach herself to him? The criminals he had courted – they were the life he deserved.

She did not deserve that. Staring at her raven hair and fiery eyes, Jase began to recalibrate his goal. When he freed her, he would free her entirely – from Bill, from Drew…and from himself. By death or some other means if necessary. When he gazed back at her, he could again feel the warmth of her lips on his. A warmth that he threatened with his very existence. A warmth that might burn her to ashes if it did not somehow cool.

What difference did one more sin make to him if it preserved her life? He was already condemned by the life he had lived; he would not condemn her to live it with him.

“Monsters have no souls…” Jase leveled, and though Bill no doubt thought the words aimed at him, Jase had said them as self-seeking missiles.

“Shut him up,” Bill commanded. Out of nowhere, Amélie's legs appeared. She stepped behind Jase and reappeared with her captive, a firm grasp on Nessa's hair.

“Since you have sacrificed so much for her,” Amélie leered, her French thickening as jealousy dripped from her every word, “I imagine you will sacrifice your smart mouth for this sad excuse of a woman.”

Amélie had bent down to better peer into Jase's eyes, and when she raised up, she leveled her high heeled shoe at his face, a blow Jase barely managed to avoid. Since no one tried to restrain him, Jase struggled to his feet, and his instinct sent him lunging toward Nessa. Before he could move an inch, Drew had an iron grip on Jase and had twisted his arms behind his back.

Obviously, Bill did not harbor the same sentiments of civility toward Nessa that he had toward Jase; Bill did nothing to recall Amélie's unmerciful grip on Nessa's hair.

That truth, more than anything else, sharpened Jase's slowly dulling wit. If he allowed Nessa to fall victim to Bill Henry, the “civilized” businessman would subject her to the utmost degradation and pain imaginable. Though Jase saw no clear path of escape, he would fight with his last breath to ensure that Nessa could get away from the impending hell before her.

“Now that we have reestablished some order,” Bill began coolly, “we can conclude our business. I do apologize for this unfortunate interruption, Commandant. You understand that in our line of work, we encounter obstacles and must, from time to time, pause to deal with them. Please continue...”

The commandant alighted on his chair, and Bill did the same, Drew and Amélie having dragged their captives to the back wall behind Bill. Though the window beside him called tantalizingly to Jase, he knew better than to risk an escape attempt at that moment; he couldn't feasibly include Nessa in such an attempt. He needed some form of chaos to mask his maneuverings, and in the static confines of the room, he felt little confidence in his ability to free her.

“Thank you,” the small government official oozed in his oily tone. “You must understand, that we have limited funds. This deal relies entirely on our ability to trade.”

“If I didn't understand that, I wouldn't be here,” Bill agreed. “You told me that you would bring me some samples.”

For a moment, the official looked befuddled, and Jase gritted his teeth in a covert smile as he realized that the captive women were to have served as “samples.” Jase had gratefully eradicated that possibility.

The clearing of the commandant's expression brought a squint of assessment to Jase's eye. What would the man manufacture to please Bill?

Speaking to the lone domestic who still stood among them, the leader unleashed a barrage of Burmese words, at which the worker quickly fled the room. Jase's skin prickled as he nervously considered what might happen. As soon as the door clicked to signal the man's return, Jase's stomach lurched. He hadn't yet had time to free the children that he knew sat locked in nearby cells.

No sooner had the thought entered his mind than a tiny black head of hair peaked through the doorway, bowed in either respect or fear; probably both. The child's resemblance to Dao struck Jase immediately, and tears of anger sprang to his eyes.

In Jase’s peripheral vision, he saw Nessa wrench against the hand that held her hair, and she couldn’t restrain a cry when it did not release. If Jase could last the day, not only would he free Nessa, not only would he free these children, but he would destroy every adult complicit in this insane crime. Whatever their plans for the child, he should not under any circumstances face such fear and degradation.

Jase forced himself to betray no outward emotion. To his temporary relief, Bill adopted a look of utter disgust at the sight of the child.

“I thought we had negotiated a trade for women,” he sneered haughtily. “My contact in China does not need children – they want women to bear children for their customers. This will not meet the market needs.”

The official adopted an irritated expression, though he maintained his control. “Unfortunately, I have run into an obstacle in delivering the goods that we had intended for you.” The man glared at Jase, at which Jase bared his teeth. “I had acquired several specimens from the local population,” the man continued, “but they somehow escaped a few hours ago.”

At this, Bill smiled subtly. “I can certainly understand how unforeseen events could obstruct an otherwise smooth operation.”

“Wait till I get started,” Jase growled.

The yelp of agony beside him pulled Jase from the scene before him and back to where Nessa stood, her hands once again shackled before her. When Jase had spoken, Amélie had used the hold on Nessa's hair to wrench her head backwards.

“I suggest you remain silent, Jase,” the Frenchwoman declared, a demonic glint in her eye. “That is, if you care about her as you say you do.” With her last words, Amélie slapped an open hand across Nessa's right cheek, reopening the red welt left on the delicate flesh of Nessa's face by Drew's earlier blow.

When he saw the hand fall, Jase's mouth popped open in anguish. Nessa raised her eyes to him, fury burning in their depths. That anger ripped Jase to shreds, and his own eyes no doubt reflected her ire.

“Get rid of it,” Bill drew Jase's attention back to the center of action, and the supercilious tycoon waved his hand dismissively at the now-trembling child.

“Show me your facilities instead,” he commanded without delay. “I at least need to know that you can handle the demand that I bring.”

Rising, the official bowed in Bill's direction, and Bill also rose.

“This is merely a detention facility, you understand,” the commandant explained. “Since we are officially government run, we cannot maintain a full operation from this facility lest the locals rebel. We maintain a warehouse in a nearby, remote location to the north. It is much better suited to our needs, as it can house up to 150 prisoners – more if you do not mind deteriorated conditions.”

How many similar conversations had taken place between men who employed Jase while Jase toyed with his focused responsibility and refused to dig deeper? He hated to imagine.

“Well, my contact in the Chinese government is not picky about condition of the capital,” Bill replied, “as long as their bodies are sound enough to bear a child and serve as a wife for a while. The weapons provided are nearing the end of their functionality, so the trade will be in kind. Besides, if your fellow junta members decide not to side with you,” Bill leered at the little man, “the trade will probably not last very long. Not everyone is as upset as you at the more liberal leanings of the current ruling party.”

As Bill spoke, the official headed toward the main entrance, and Bill followed leisurely behind him. If the official felt any resentment at Bill's nonchalance, the man's countenance did not betray it.

“Bring her,” Bill commanded, flicking his hand at Nessa. “And move him to the car.” Bill nodded at Drew, gesturing with his head toward Jase.

The separation from Nessa nearly drove Jase wild with rage, but he knew that the removal of Bill, the official, and Amélie would facilitate Jase's escape. Once free, Jase could manage to free Nessa as well. Rather than protest as he would have liked, Jase watched stoically as Amélie pressed Nessa through the door. At the last moment, Nessa turned to look at him, and Jase tried to infuse his return gaze with as much confidence as he could communicate in a glance.

As soon as the official party had left the room, Jase began a barrage of questions for Drew, thoughts he had restrained in the presence of Nessa.

“What the hell are you doing Drew? Are you really this stupid?”

With his typical indifference, Drew snickered and shrugged. “And here all this time I thought you were the smart one, always playing both sides so well. I can't believe I used to admire your resourcefulness. I've always managed to scrape a little off the top, but I could never quite pull off the complete duplicity that you did.”

Jase shook his head incredulously. “You've obviously done a good job. You had me completely fooled.”

At this, Drew actually threw his head back in laughter. “Then you're a bigger idiot than I thought. I mean, I thought you only turned into a blithering idiot for women – everyone knows you lose your brain power for a pretty face. But the other stuff? Your ability to shift into whatever form made you the most money? That's why I brought you onto the team. Someone like you, so given to self-serving, you of all people could be corrupted. I convinced Liam that you would put in a good word for us when we offered our services to Bill. I thought I irritated you so much because you were afraid I was going to nose in on your business, but I figured when I offered you a lucrative partnership, you would come on board.”

“But that's just it,” Jase insisted, following Drew from the chamber and into the north hallway. “You didn't irritate me; I always liked you, except for the Nessa thing. You always seemed like such a good guy.”

“Ha!” Drew's laugh cut off any further words from Jase. “There's no such thing as a good guy! There are no good guys!” Drew turned back to face Jase, the pair having just reached the awaiting limo. “The fact that you hold that as a possibility just proves the point I've been trying to make to Bill since I got here.”

Drew pulled the door open, gesturing for Jase to have a seat in the limo.

“What point is that?” Jase queried, not complying.

“I told Bill that you've been ruined, that you've lost your edge. In truth, I was hoping he would hire me in your place; otherwise, I wouldn't have exposed myself to you this way. But he seems to think that once you get over the woman insanity you'll be worth something. He says you've had this problem before, though not to this extent, and he expects you'll make a full recovery. It’s why you’re still alive. Of course, I'll do my best to make sure you don't.”

At those words, Drew smirked in a more diabolical fashion than Jase would have thought possible from his laid-back friend.

“What's that supposed to mean?”

Glancing around him, Drew shut the door to the limo, an obvious gesture to hide their conversation from the chauffeur seated inside. “I know that Nessa is more than a phase for you, though you’re toxic enough that I’m not sure how much worse off she’ll be in Bill’s organization. Still, since I brought her in, I have a pretty big say in how she's treated in the future.”

Drew let the words hang in the air.

Though Jase tried to remain indifferent, he felt the intensity in his voice when he posed his question. “What do you mean 'how she's treated'?

“Well, Bill wants to enter her in the trade. She's beautiful, and with enough training, Bill feels sure that he could reshape her into a very lucrative endeavor. Not like your friend, Briel,” Drew laughed. “She would kill or be killed before she let anyone touch her. But Nessa is softer...”

As he spoke, Drew's face wore an almost hungry look, and Jase had to close his eyes to mask his fury. Drew continued as if he hadn't seen Jase's reaction.

“Anyway, I told Bill that I thought I could turn her, that she could help us. Not that I really think she would turn, but I could keep her safe for a while until Bill grows impatient. By that time, I could figure out some alternate plan.”

“So, you do care about her!” Jase felt a pang of hope, a thought that regardless of the outcome of today, Nessa might end up safe.

Drew smiled, “As long as she's cooperative. If she's unwilling to entertain my purposes while I have her, then I might as well turn her over to Bill. I'll give her the choice, of course.”

If she's unwilling to serve my purposes, Jase pondered the barely masked innuendo, and his hope crashed.

“Or, you could bow out – sacrifice yourself for your true love,” Drew grinned sardonically at his romanticism, fully aware of its validity, “then I will guarantee her release. I'll manufacture a way for her to escape, and I won't follow her.”

“And all I have to do is let you shoot me?” Jase asked incredulously.

At that, Drew grinned again, seemingly shocked and pleased at the suggestion. “That's a possibility. But I had something a little less draconian in mind.”

“Which is?”

“Just convince Bill you can't be turned. I'm sure Bill will find some use for you, a fall-guy or a sacrificial lamb during a mission.”

“So, basically, you shoot me now, or I let Bill find a way to shoot me later.”

Drew shrugged. “Or, I give Nessa to Bill – it doesn't matter much to me. If you do it Bill's way, you lose everything, and I survive with little sacrifice made. If you do it my way, we both gain.”

“I die later...”

“And Nessa is protected.”

Staring up at his new enemy, Jase couldn't help asking, “How long have you been planning this?”

“Well,” Drew answered, “since before I brought you in, I planned on using you to get in Bill's good graces. Even if you hadn't introduced us to Bill, Liam and I had heard from Briel what you were capable of, and he and I figured that the three of us could find a good use for our combined abilities.”

“Yet you never said anything to me.”

“Briel said you had gone crazy on your last mission, not exactly in those words. She started spouting some nonsense about your being more noble than she had expected. That worried me, but not enough to forgo calling you in. Instead, Liam and I figured we would watch you, see which Jase showed up.”

The whole conversation seemed unbelievable to Jase. If he knew one thing for sure, it was that he was a bad guy in all this. Drew seemed to think otherwise.

“So you planned to lure me in with Nessa?” Jase asked incredulously. He couldn't believe he could be manipulated so thoroughly.

“Oh, no,” Drew corrected Jase, and Jase felt relieved as Drew continued, annoyance creeping into his tone. “I didn't foresee the effect she would have on you, or honestly, the effect you would have on her. I didn't want to, but, when we realized that you had lost your edge, Liam decided that we could use your stupidity to get in Bill's good graces.”

Though Jase processed the words, he tried to mask his reaction. He held no delusion that Drew would keep his word once Jase went away, so the option that Drew presented was no option at all – Nessa enslaved to Bill's organization or enslaved to Drew's whim. Either way, Nessa suffered unacceptable repercussions.

And all because of me, Jase reminded himself. If she hadn't mattered to him, if she hadn't stayed with him, if she hadn't loved him – no one would have considered her bait for the game. Sure, Drew had been trying to sell a point when he claimed Jase was toxic, but the best sales pitches hold enough truth to prove persuasive.

Whatever he did, he would save her one way or another. As long as Jase had strength in his body, his enemies did not hold all the cards. “Can I think about it?” Jase hedged, stepping back from the door to communicate his desire to enter the limo.

Lulled by his own confidence, Drew conceded. “Whatever,” he allowed, reaching for the door and pulling on the handle.

Stepping between the open door and the car, Jase kicked the door as hard as he could, knocking Drew off balance. Jase fell upon his once-friend like a lion on his prey.

Using the door as a weapon, Jase wrapped his bound hands around the back of Drew's neck and threw the taller man's forehead down onto the unforgiving metal frame of the door. The crack resounded through the rural air, and the chauffeur seemed to awaken from his indifference.

The force of the blow to Drew had stunned the larger man into insensibility, and when the chauffeur stepped from the cab with his gun raised, Jase used Drew's limp body to shield his own.

“Don't try it,” Jase instructed the newly stirred driver, his tone commanding compliance. “I don't know if you've heard about me, but you would be well-advised not to challenge me.”

Of course, Jase's practiced tone of confidence had the desired effect, and the chauffeur immediately resettled himself into the car. Ironic since they had stripped Jase of all his weapons.

“Don't touch the radio if you want to live,” Jase completed his threat, and the chauffeur leaned away from the dashboard. Reputations are the best weapon. “Move around into the back,” Jase instructed the man, and Jase shoved Drew's lolling form into the open back door.

Unsheathing Drew's knife from its perch, Jase cut the ropes that held his own wrists. “Idiocy to use zip ties on me,” Jase chastised his unconscious friend.

“Cuff yourself,” Jase instructed the chauffeur, throwing him a pair of cuffs retrieved from Drew's belt. “And toss your gun on the floor.”

The driver complied, and Jase felt along Drew's belt for some sort of cord or more zip ties. Finding none, he removed Drew's belt and did his best to bind the larger man's hands. No guarantee of confinement, Jase knew, but it would slow Drew down.

Though he had restrained his anger while he had needed his full faculties against Drew, Jase now pulled his indignation from its dormancy and used it to compel him back to action. Gratefully, Jase had spent enough time in the compound that he felt confident of his tactical knowledge of the facility.

The main chamber would lie abandoned, impractical for any purpose that Bill now held. Bill had moved to wrap up his business transaction, and he had demanded to see the facilities. Since everyone considered Jase taken care of, no one would expect him.

After tying Drew's makeshift manacles to the driver's hands, Jase shut them both into the running limo and began a glide back toward the main building. He did not wish to encounter any more guards, and if he could make it to the small courtyard, Jase surmised that the best strategic position for him would be back on the roof. Until he found Nessa and discovered her current condition, he could not determine his course.

The courtyard now stood unguarded, to Jase's relief, and he easily mounted the wrought-iron to propel himself onto the flat surface that topped the main chamber. First, he performed a quick check into the great hall to make sure that Bill had not returned there. Jase could see only one guard, so Jase abandoned the room immediately.

As he had suspected, he found the entire group when he peered through a window into the hallway where Jase had divined the children's presence. Since he had no direct entree into the corridor, he lowered himself carefully down the wall to the ground and thrust Drew’s knife under the window's seal. All Jase needed was a slight opening through which to hear the goings-on in the interior.

“...so, you can see the potential,” Jase heard as he finally managed a small gap in the window.

Bill responded to the official with his usual supercilious tone, unconcerned and aloof. “It's a possibility, though I'm not convinced of its security, especially in light of today's events.”

“I assure you; that was an anomaly,” the official pleaded submissively. “This man that hounds you hardly represents the level of enemy we usually encounter. How can we prove our capability?”

“Fine,” Bill deigned. “Just keep this woman here,” Jase imagined Bill spoke of Nessa. “When my representative arrives with a sample of my goods, you will return her to me. Do as you wish with her, but don't mark her, or she won't serve my purposes.”

Jase had to restrain his desire to look in the window; a sudden urge to place a bullet between Bill's eyes had overtaken the eavesdropper.

“Does this agreement suit you?” Bill wondered. “This woman will represent a greater challenge than you have as yet undertaken, and your ability to restrain her will prove to me that you run a stable operation in this country, something the Chinese official will want to hear before he parts with the weapons.”

“You will find us very reliable. We have held power in relative peace for forty years. Nothing will interfere with our business. Please communicate the security of what we offer.”

“Communication,” Bill's smile showed through in his tone. “It's what I do.”

“Thank you, Mr. Henry. You will not be disappointed. If you wish, I can demonstrate some of our tactics before you leave. Maung,” the man continued, his submissive tone replaced with one of authority. A string of Burmese followed, and Jase sprung to his feet when he heard a cry from Nessa.

When his eyes topped the window sill, Jase sighed in relief. The man in question had not touched Nessa, but Amélie still held Nessa by the hair, wrenching backwards so that Nessa's throat lay exposed.

As horribly as Amélie often acted, Jase knew the limits of the vindictive woman. He feared much less from her than from some barbarian under the authority of a rogue government.

Before Jase's relief could settle in, however, the guard moved from his rigid stance and placed his hand in an almost caress across Nessa's velvet skinned neck. Whatever Jase had intended, all his plans flew out the window. He tacitly wondered whether Bill enjoyed the suffering of women – what other reason would he have for subjecting Nessa to such humiliation?

Or did Bill suspect Jase's presence and wish to draw him out? Whatever the cause, Jase would not watch idly as Nessa suffered such pain and humiliation. Even if he died right there, Jase would make sure Nessa got away from the torture. He gripped the gun in his hand, positioning himself to the left of the window so any stray bullets would avoid Nessa. When the glass splintered, Jase recognized Amélie's scream of surprise.

Before the glass had fallen from its place, Jase followed the bullets and executed a dive through the shattered shards. As he righted himself, he noted with pleasure that Nessa had landed a kick squarely on the chest of the man who had dared to defile her hallowed skin.

While Jase landed his own blow on one of the guards, he saw Nessa's head whip back into Amélie's nose. Much to Jase's enjoyment, when he turned back to analyze Nessa's position, he saw blood trickling down Amélie's shocked countenance, though she seemed in no real physical danger.

Jase had no more time to relish Nessa's skills because two guards erupted from the shadows and began to attack him. Though he raised the knife as a deterrent, one of the men smashed his arm down on Jase's, grasping it in a vice grip and wrenching it backwards. Jase lashed out with his legs, slamming one across the other guard's chin, but the first guard did not release the gun.

The enraged visage of Amélie, more animal than human, rose before Jase, and for a moment, he thought she would leap upon him. When she moved away from him, he felt no relief, because Amélie had fallen upon Nessa with a vengeance, and Nessa's tethered arms hindered her ability to fight.

Bringing his free elbow up under his restrainer's chin, Jase contorted his gun arm in such a way that it twisted the arm of his attacker. The attacker released Jase's flesh, but gripped Jase’s hand where it held the knife and squeezed until Jase felt his own fingers pry apart.

“You whore,” Amélie exclaimed as she rushed Nessa.

Undaunted, Nessa stepped briskly behind Bill, who had remained a statue of immobility during the entire fight. She glared coldly at Amélie before doing something that Jase would never have predicted. Nessa raised her shackled hands and lowered them over Bill's head, squeezing her wrists so that she completely cut off the blood supply to Bill's brain. The shock stunned Jase for a moment.

In that instant, Jase lost his concentration, and his inattention cost him dearly. The guard that he had kicked across the jaw recovered, and before Jase realized it, the man had constricted Jase's own windpipe. While that man held Jase, the other guard gripped Jase by the arms and slapped a handcuff on one wrist. Jase struggled against both men with all of his might, but with his attention divided between the two, he found no success, and before he realized it, both of his hands rested bound behind him.

Both Amélie and the Burmese governor had gripped Nessa's arms, and they had pulled her handcuffs an inch away from Bill's neck. Jase considered it a testimony to her strength and persistence that they had not succeeded in separating her from her intended target; every moment he knew her, he admired her more.

Before he could console himself with that thought, he felt a lancing pain across his left temple, and he crumpled to the ground in a daze. One of the guards had bashed Jase on the head with the grip of Jase's own knife, and he could not drag himself back to action. By the time he became aware, Amélie and the official had successfully removed Nessa's arms from around Bill's neck, and someone had shoved Nessa to her knees. Amélie kept Nessa there with a death-grip on her hair.

Amélie had resorted to the grip so often that Jase now longed to tear every shred of hair from his French comrade's head – how vain would she be then? he mused.

To Jase's slight consolation, Bill stood in between the captives looking badly shaken and not very steady on his feet. Perhaps Nessa had accomplished some significant damage to the man before she had fallen to the interference of her captors.

Jase immediately grew aware of the Pyrrhic nature of the victory, however, when he felt the stab of a needle where it entered into his arm. As the room grew dark, he saw Amélie drag Nessa to her feet, and the animal that roared within Jase battered its head impotently against the cage bars of the drug that now flooded his system. For an unknown eternity, Jase knew nothing but darkness.