Chapter 23
I don’t own Chuck
Blood was running down his face from where he had been pistol whipped. Casey was down, clutching his shoulder, he had been the first one she had taken a shot at. Chuck knew they were lucky no one was dead yet. He heard the sounds of fighting, and glanced over. There they were, Sarah and Zondra in fight.
He had been right. She had been waiting for them in Texas. Chuck had told Sarah and Casey everything that had been in the flash and then shocked them by saying they couldn’t go. He wasn’t going to put them in danger just to save his mother. Chuck was certain Zondra was there, waiting for them.
Chuck was certain Graham was paranoid, but just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean you aren’t right. He knew that it was a trap, and he refused to let these two get caught in it. He had awaken the next morning to an empty bed, and when he walked into the kitchen area, Casey told them once he finished making himself pretty they were pulling out.
Chuck tried to argue, but one look from Sarah stopped him. They had become family. A dysfunctional one, sure, but a family all the same. “Bartowski,” came Casey voice cutting through the fog in his head. Did he have a concussion? What did that do the Intersect. “BARTOWSKI!”
“Let me finish off Blondie and I’ll take care of you, Casey,” Zondra said, fighting Sarah. Sarah was still staggering from the original attack. As she had walked in, she got blindsided by Zondra, the pistol hitting her in the face. Zondra had turned on Casey, and as she pulled the trigger, Chuck had crashed into her, throwing off her aim. The kicker was, if Chuck hadn’t of tried to tackle Zondra, the shot probably would have hit Casey center mass…but it also would have hit his Kevlar vest. Zondra had gotten Chuck off of her, pistol whipped him, and then found herself in a fist fight with Sarah, who was wobbly.
“Tell her!” Casey yelled. “Tell her before we die.” Zondra got in a blow, knocking Sarah down. She went over to pick up the gun, turned, with the intent of shooting Sarah. Standing in her way was Chuck.
“Funny, you’re supposed to be dead,” Zondra said, raising the gun, pointing it right between Chuck’s eyes.”
“So are you, Gabriella Mercedes,” Chuck said. Zondra froze, her eyes going wide. “Your parents, two older brothers that are here, living in fear of deportation, all because of one son-of-a-bitch named Wayne Tisdale, or as you know him, Langston Graham.”
“Who the hell are you?” Zondra asked, her gun lowering slightly, and shaking. “Who. The hell. Are you?”
“I’m his worse nightmare,” Chuck told her. “I’m the guy that can put it all together and send him away, forever.”
“No one can,” Zondra said, chuckling. “Do yourself a favor, step aside, let me take out that traitor and we can help each other.”
“No,” Chuck said. “First, she wasn’t the traitor, Amy was.” Zondra glanced at Sarah, who nodded and then back at Chuck. “Second, well, I love- her, and you take her out, I’ll spend the rest of live hunting you down.” Zondra tilted her head and lifted her gun back to pointing between his eyes.
Chuck swallowed. “And maybe I spoke a little too boldly, but I am telling you the truth Zondra. Langston isn’t keeping your family safe, he’s the one that is keeping their citizenship papers from being processed.”
“That son-of-a-bitch,” she muttered, her arm faltering again.
“Rizzo, you know me, you know I wouldn’t help a traitor,” Casey said. He was pressing his shirt against his shoulder, stopping the bleeding. “Walker is good people, hell, you know that.”
Zondra looked down at Sarah and snorted. “String bean here loves you, I’d be doing him a favor putting a bullet in him.”
“Yeah, you would,” Sarah agreed. Zondra went to lift her gun. “I love him, and it will probably ruin his life, but I do.” Zondra whipped her head back to Sarah. “Zondra, I want to walk on the beach with this guy.” Zondra stared at Sarah. During many of their late nights, while Amy and Carina were partying it up, many times the two found themselves together.
They would watch couples, and make fun of them, but they would sometimes see a couple, that weren’t in it for sex, to be with someone, but to be with someone they loved. It was Zondra who said it. I bet he’s the kinda guy that would walk on the beach with you, and just be happy to be near you. We don’t get that guy, Walker, we’re not built that way.
“Your serious?” she said. She looked at Chuck, over to Casey, and back to Sarah. “Blondie, if you are jerking my chain, I swear to God I will blow his damn brains out.”
“You hurt him, there is no where on this earth you can hide, Zondra,” Sarah told her. Zondra stared at Sarah, and lowered her weapon. “We good?”
“No, but we can work together for now,” Zondra told her.
“It was Amy,” Chuck stressed.
“And she turned me in,” Zondra said, pointing at Sarah. Chuck glanced at Sarah and saw the shame on her face. “Now, how do we do this and my family not get deported?”“We have a plan for that,” Casey told her. He groaned. “But first, can you get this bullet out of my arm?”
“Why me?” Zondra asked.
“You put it in there,” Casey said. “I wouldn’t let Bartowski operate on me if there was no one else to do it, and Walker’s so far in her ladyfeelings right now, I’m afraid she might take my arm off.”
“Fine,” Zondra said, holstering her weapon. “Why are you all here anyway?”
“To save my family,” Chuck told her. With that, he helped up Sarah, and the two walked out of the room.
“You did the right thing,” Casey told Zondra.
“Yeah, but is it gonna bite me in the ass?” Zondra asked him.
“Maybe,” Casey admitted. “YEOWCH!” he yelled as Zondra began to dig into his shoulder. “Has anyone told you your bedside manner sucked?”“Yep,” Zondra replied.