The Waitress

9 - Death Threats and Lexus

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."