Escape to London: A Roleplay

Alyssa stared down at her phone, tears springing to her eyes. She couldn't breathe, couldn't think. She turned to the detective and began shaking. "He has Liam. The killer has Liam."

Ezra's face twisted. "Oh, you've got to be fucking-"

"Turn the car around!" she screamed. "I have to find him!"

"And I have to deliver you to New York. How are you so sure it was him?"

"I know what I heard! Please just turn the fucking car around!"

The detective gritted his teeth. The more seconds they lost while debating it, the more panicked she became. "Go to the hospital. I'll find the shooter. I'm not asking you to risk your life for me again."

Ezra was incredulous. "Like hell I'm letting you go up against this guy alone." She was about to grab the steering wheel herself when he took a hard right and spun the car around in the middle of the street. She held on for dear life as cars honked and braked around them, watching the speedometer as it approached dangerously high speeds. "Take my phone," he instructed her. "Call Jorah Ainsworth. He's the chief inspector here in London. Tell him I need weapons and ammo. And backup as well, whenever we find out where the hell your guy's at."

As if on cue, her phone chimed with a text from Liam's mobile. On the screen was Liam, tied up in a chair, head slumped forward. She gasped when she read the caption.

*Nice little back room in the store. Thinking of painting it red. You and the detective be sure to come alone. Wouldn't want poor Liam to pay the price.*

When she read the text to Ezra, he cursed and thought for a moment. "Forget the backup. Tell him we still need weapons. He'll know something's up. He'll be on standby."

"Tell him the location?" she asked.

He nodded. "Just in case things go to shit. And tell him to leave the ammo under the coffee shop dumpster. We'll collect it on our way."

Hurried and anxious to the point of nausea, she called Jorah and listed off Ezra's instructions. When the phone call was over, she stared out the window as the detective sped toward the shop, cursing herself for ever bringing these people into her life.

Liam starts coming too and opens his eyes, his head hurt and soon saw a hand, with two headache pills in the palm.

"Thought you could use these mate..." Callum said, Liam tries to move but sees he's tied up, he looks at Callum, "you this whole time? What do you want with Alyssa?"

"Well, I want a lot of things....what I know I don't want, is going to prison. I get mad some times and people end up payin pg the price. Is it my fault or Americas poor excuse of dealing with the mentally ill...., just know, you dude are totally innocent, I think you're a good dude..but you know, I need to lure her here somehow."

Liam looks at him, " You touch her and I swear to ---"

He is suddenly punched in the stomach hard by Callum, Liam makes a noise of discomfort.

In what should have taken half an hour, Ezra did in half that. He instructed Alyssa on what to do with the weapons left under the dumpster, and with his assistance, they were locked and loaded when he pulled up to the venue. She was out of the car before he even came to a stop.

Just as they had discussed, he walked in first, gun drawn. Alyssa followed at his heel and nodded to the door at the back of the building. Together, they ran toward the door when they heard groans of pain, her heart twisting at the thought of Liam being hurt. But hurt meant he was alive.

Ezra crashed through the door and pointed his pistol at the man standing dead center of the room, arms extended to welcome his new guests.

Alyssa's knees went weak. "Callum?"

Callum looks over at Alyssa, " This is exactly how I pictured this happening, too bad your visions couldn't help you sooner and see my face. I'd also take that gun away. Look, nothing is going to happen today. I just wanted you to see...that I'm a threat. Sure, it was stupid to expose myself but I love a good scene...when I picked up that phone and said hello Alyssa, come on right? Perfect bad guy scene!"

He looked at the silent faces around the room, "nothing more to add? That's cool..." Callums eyes turned dark and suddenly a gun was in his own hand and took a shot towards Alyssa, once again the detective took the bullet in his hand.

"Mother fuck!" Ezra's New York accent was out full force, rage turning his face red as blood poured from the gunshot in his hand. His own pistol had been knocked to the other end of the room, taunting him from so far away.

Should have shot the bastard. Shouldn't have fucking listened to what he had to say. Alyssa's wide eyes bounced between Ezra and Liam, looking like a deer in the headlights. He didn't have the time to be seen to. "Fuckin' untie him," he barked at Alyssa as he ran for the gun, and soon it was in his left hand and he was darting through the doorway, firing shots. He felt useless without his good hand, and he felt incompetent as all hell, not to mention lost as to how the hell to handle the situation moving forward.

What about the Thatcher family? Charles Lenoir? Everyone Alyssa had come into contact with was now at risk.

He had to get the kid to America, still, and he had a ton of innocent lives resting on his shoulders.

Callum jumped over a cab and sprinted down an alleyway until he was out of sight, knowing full well that Ezra couldn't go shooting into a crowd of people.

Cursing the whole way back toward the building, he reached beneath his suit jacket and tore apart his undershirt to use as a makeshift bandage, wrapping it tightly around his wounded hand. The cold air chilling his exposed torso, he walked in to find the couple of the hour embracing.

He stuffed the pistol into the back of his pants and leaned against the nearest wall to catch a breath. The girl broke off and turned as white as a sheet when she saw the state he was in. "Detective-"

He didn't let her finish. He was too pissed to deal with pleasantries, to assure her he was okay, to listen to her apologize. He was ready to leave this shithole and never look back. "Alyssa, I'm taking you to New York and you're not gonna fuckin' fight me on it this time."

His eyes landed on Liam. "You, you come or you go. Makes no difference to me. If you give me a photo, I can have the police issue out a BOLO on this cocksucker. I'll have my contact start a protective detail for your family until this guy is caught, but I ain't sticking around to get shot at again."

Liam looks at the cop, looks to Alyssa "I want you going with him, isn't safe for you here. Just keep going and call me when you get there?"

She nods, he goes to turn away but she pulls him in fora kiss. He kisses her back and soon he watches them leave out the door.

He sits on his desk and looks at the whole situation, without a word more he gets the cops in England Callums description.

He informs his parents, his sister.

Everyone he knows.

The plane ride was mostly silent. Alyssa was glad Liam was okay, but the further away she got from him, the more her heart ached. She would never forgive herself if any of his loved ones were hurt because of her. She wanted Charlie safe, as well, and she couldn't help but worry for her mother. She didn't know where Callum might be or where he'd be headed. She only knew that he couldn't possibly be done with her.

Detective Pierce sat quietly beside her; he seemed to have calmed himself in the hours since the ordeal. She risked a glance at him and then quickly looked back down at her lap when he caught her staring. He sighed and straightened up in his seat, the bloodied shirt still wrapped tightly around his hand. "I'm fine," he muttered, his eyes locked on hers. "Your mom already agreed to get rid of the hippie commune and patch me up when we land."

"I know," Alyssa replied, fiddling with the empty bag of peanuts in her hand. "But I'm still sorry, and I appreciate your help. I couldn't just leave Liam there."

He shrugged. "You do crazy shit for the people you love."

She mulled that over. She'd never asked him about his own life. They still had a few hours until they landed. "Are you married, Detective?"

He breathed in deeply and let it out through his nose, answering her with a shake of his head. "Been divorced eleven years."

No wonder he was so serious all the time. "Any kids?"

He tensed up beside her, and this time when he looked at her, there was barely veiled anger in his eyes. "Fuck's with the twenty-one questions? What, I take a bullet for you and we're pals now?"

She drew back, her face turning pink, eyes wide. She looked away again. "No, sir. I'm sorry."

Minutes passed. Alyssa shrank into herself and the detective stewed in his own guilt. He'd made a promise to be civil to her; she had yet to break it, but he certainly had. He took his promises seriously.

Ezra sighed. "Her name was Emma." He felt her eyes on him again, but he didn't look back. He stared ahead at the seat in front of him. "She had Leukemia. She was diagnosed at eight, fought hard for four years." He cleared his throat. "Marriage didn't last long after that."

He knew that if he looked, he'd see sadness and an apology in her eyes, so he didn't. "I'm so sorry," she whispered.

His voice was gruff, but he continued on. "You remind me of her a little. Real shy kid, sweet. Loved books and music. She kept on with her piano lessons until she just couldn't anymore."

Alyssa didn't know what to say to that. She hurt for him. "Thank you for telling me."

Were it anyone other than quiet, skittish Alyssa, he wouldn't have ever opened up, but snapping at her made him feel low. He'd come to London to arrest her, and now he was telling her about the worst time of his life. The past few days had him all fucked up.

He shrugged, going silent again. He reached for a magazine and flipped it open to a random page. "If you don't mind, I'd like some peace and quiet."

It was the most polite way he could think of to ask her to shut up. It worked. She nodded and went back to staring out the window.

---

"We don't have long," Ezra said as they ascended the steps of Guinevere's front porch. "That psycho could easily find our addresses through our names."

"Hence why we're going to Lanesville?" Alyssa asked, reaching for the doorknob.

"Correct," he replied. "Buddy of mine has a vacation house there. Takes a good three hours to get there. Secluded as all hell."

Just then, the door swung open. Gwen stood on the other side, her hair swept up in a bun, a wide smile on her face. "Alyssa, honey, I've been worried sick!"

The two women embraced as Ezra meandered in the back, keeping watch. Soon the three of them were inside and Ezra was anxious to get going, having forgotten about his wounds. His gaze swept the house, then landed on Gwen. She was beautiful, without a doubt, and certainly quirky. Alyssa surely hadn't inherited her mother's social skills. "Where's your room? I'll help you pack."

Her eyes narrowed. "You'll do no such thing." She pointed toward the dining room chair. "Park your handsome butt down in this chair."

Ezra sighed. "Ma'am, time is of the essence here-"

"Then don't waste mine, please, and have a seat," she interrupted, taking him by the good shoulder and pushing him into the chair. "I'm already packed, Detective. Alyssa can take my bags to the car. Take a breath and let me have a look."

Finally, he relaxed and held out his hand. She carefully unwrapped the shirt and whistled when she saw the wound. "Well, at least it went clean through. How about your arm?"

Ezra looked down at his blood-soaked suit jacket and winced when he tried to shrug out of it. Gwen quickly stopped him and came back with a pair of scissors. "Gonna have to cut this off, not that I'm complaining." She offered him a wink and went to work stripping him of his shirt until his upper half was bare. She studied the gunshot in his bicep, then checked for an exit wound. She smiled sadly. "Sorry, sweetie. This one isn't going to be so easy."

Ezra seemed put off by Gwen's teasing. He hadn't come across many forward women in his time. She certainly didn't hold back. He shifted in his seat and draped his arm across the table. "Don't worry about it. Anything's better than a hospital."

Alyssa entered the room, then, her hands full of bags and a duffel bag hanging from her neck. "How's he doing?"

Gwen was preparing the wound with alcohol wipes, reaching into her medical kit for some pliers with her other hand. "He'll be right as rain when we get this slug out." She grinned up at her daughter. "Fess up. You've got some kind of invisible force field around you, right? Any man with a gym membership just gets pulled in. Look at this man's body!"

Ezra looked uncomfortable and she couldn't quite blame him. She'd forgotten to warn him about how her mother could be. She certainly wasn't going to comment on the abs of a man twice her age, though.

Gwen became flustered. "Shoot, I'm sorry. There I go mouthing off again. He's married, isn't he? He's married, and here I am, flirting like a hussy."

Alyssa grinned, and though she caught Ezra's warning glare in the corner of her eye, she shook her head. "Nope, he's single and ready to mingle."

Before he could say anything, she was gone, laughing as she lugged the bags to the car. This was going to be an interesting road trip.

---

When Ezra had called the place secluded, he had been right. This place was quaint but lovely, a wood home nestled into a hill, a big and beautiful mountain serving as a backdrop. The scenery was gorgeous; they were surrounded by nature. Trees provided excellent cover, and whenever either of them wanted a breath of fresh air, it was easily accessible. Her favorite spot was the creek that was back behind the house, a lone log serving as a great seat on which to sit and dip her toes. She would spend hours out at the water, watching it cascading downstream over the rocks, soothed by the peace and quiet. It was the perfect place to let herself think.

Ezra was hellbent on being professional, but she saw the looks he gave Gwen. The man wanted her and it was plain as day. Witnessing him struggle to stay professional was almost comical. Watching them prepare a meal together was almost too intimate to stand, hence why she was here, enjoying some time alone.

Liam spent the time away from Alyssa, it wasn't easy. He missed her a lot but he kept himself busy with the store as usual.

Callum seemed to not be an issue, their was no sign of the guy.

Charlie was in contact with him and told him a colleuge of his, liked the photos he did with Alyssa and said he'd be interested in shooting Liam for something big, the only issue was he had to go to New York.

He was all set to go there eventually and be with Alyssa, just had ties to put in order before he did. The idea of also being a model made him laugh, that was until Charlie informed of him how much he will be paid.

Telling Charlie to not let Alyssa know, they agreed and arranged going over. Liam left the store with his uncle in charge till he got back, who knew when that would be?

He landed in New York, it was his first time and wow. London was a busy city but nothing compared to New York. Charlie explained they were going straight to Alyssa, she was in hiding outside the city. Liam had his shoot in a couple days he had to be back for.

Liam contacted the detective, he had his number this whole time and they both knew he was on his way.

Charlie rented a car and drove out of the city, finally pulling up to a charming house. Charlie suddenly gasps, Liam looks to him, "What?"

Charlie just eyes the house," This looks like a Martha Stewart dream house, so gorgeous..." Liam looks at him, "It's a house, mate."

Charlie just smiled to Liam, "Oh Liam...stating the obvious is your talent."

Liam smirks back and gets out as soon as the car is parked, he gets his stuff inside and mom points him towards where Alyssa is.

He takes the directions and comes up to her, there she was.

"Charlie brought me in his carry on, hope you don't mind?"

Alyssa had been startled from the sudden noise, but as soon as she turned, she squealed with excitement, rising from the log and jumping into his arms. "Liam!"

It hadn't been quite a month yet, but time had never stood still quite like it had with Liam gone. The days were longer, the nights were colder. Going from sleeping next to a warm body to nothing was harder than she remembered.

She was in tears the moment he returned the embrace, squeezing her tightly. She buried her face in his chest, kissed his neck, his chin, and then his lips, taking her sweet time. She would enjoy Liam for now - she could always come in to greet Charlie later.

Liam smirked against her lips, knowing how excited she was and kissed her back just as passionately.

It didn't take long for them to be creative and use the area they had for a quick proper hello. When they finished, he set her down and they just held each other.


"Are you okay?" He breaks off and looks at her, "I kno we've emailed but how are you really? Callum hasn't even been seen in London since that night...."

Alyssa nodded. "I'm fine. We're in the middle of nowhere so it puts me at ease a bit, but I'm constantly worrying about you and Charlie and your family." She took his hand, idly stroking his knuckles with her thumb. "There's no way he's finished with us. He's likely biding his time. I don't want your family getting too comfortable. Tell me they're still being careful?"

He nods, "Trust me that I left...with good confidence they are okay. I wanted to see you and it's been a month. I've also been dragged to do some modelling thing by Charlie but that's a small fraction to why I am here..."

Alyssa grinned. "Modeling, huh?"

She wanted to see the pictures when he was done. Part of her couldn't believe he had taken the job. She led him toward the house, the smells of dinner wafting through the open window. "Hope you're not counting calories. Turns out Detective Pierce can cook like a fiend."

She quickly spun around to kiss him again. She could hardly take a step without touching him to remind herself that she wasn't dreaming. "I can't believe you and Charlie are here. Who set this up?"

Liam looks at her, "I wanted to be here sooner....don't think I'm using this model thing as an excuse but I had the store and.."

She stops him and kisses him again.

Alyssa smiled. "It's okay," she replied, lightly stroking the back of his neck with her fingers, her chest pressed up against his. They were standing at the back door of the house, way too close and open for comfort, but all she could think about was round two. She couldn't wait until dinner was finished.

She took his hand and pulled him into the house only for Charlie to run smack dab into her and flatten her in a hug. "Girl, if your man weren't so irresistible I'd be mad you stopped to get naughty before seeing me," he teased, giving her a kiss on the cheek. "As it stands, though, I have a hard time not doing the same when he comes to visit."

He said things like that to make straight men uncomfortable, but in this case, there may have been a smidgen of truthfulness. He grinned at Liam and wrapped his arm around Alyssa's shoulders, leading her into the kitchen.

Liam looks at Charlie, "Think that makes me uncomfortable but I'm too used to it now."

He heads into the kitchen and helps himself to a water, closes the fridge and sees the detective cooking away.

"You managed to keep this whole thing a secret from her, you are the real deal..aren't you? The hero cop?" He looks at him, he trusted the guy very much but cops he still didn't like.

He offers his hand, they shake hands " You've kept her safe, thank you." He takes his hand back.

Ezra didn't hate Liam, but he didn't like being judged before he was given a chance, either. There was no reason he couldn't give the kid a hard time.

His face remained stone, looking ever uninterested in pleasantries, even if deep inside he found their banter amusing. "And it only took getting shot twice and playing bodyguard for a month for you to realize I'm not half bad," he replied, twirling a meat fork in his hand. "Ever stop to think that not every cop is a prick?"

Liam looks at him, "I have my reasons, so no but I will respect anyone watching out for Alyssa."

They stood still and Ezra continued cooking, "need any help?" Offered.

Ezra gave the kid something to do.

The men cooked away and the ladies waited, Charlie definitely joined the ladies.

Just then, they hear music blastin from the kitchen and the men singing along with the radio. It was a classic 80s number Jukebox Hero by foreigner and you couldn't help belt it out.

Alyssa strode into the room and saw Liam headbanging. Even Ezra was nodding along to the beat, about as animated as he likely ever got, but stopped when she walked in. She burst into a fit of giggles when Liam paused to grin at her, then walked into his arms when he beckoned her over.

Meanwhile, Ezra was opening the tin foil covering the meat he'd pulled out of the oven. A plume of steam rose from within, filling the house with the smell of something sweet and spicy. He had made his famous barbecue tenderloin. When he stuck a fork in the middle to test it, the meat fell apart like the finest pulled pork.

On his left sat a pan of twice-baked potatoes mixed with copious amounts of roasted garlic and cheese. There was also a pot of corn on the stove.

Salivating, Alyssa grabbed a stack of plates and began handing them out, calling Charlie and Gwen over to join them. Together, their odd little family unit sat down to eat their dinner.

Liam helped himself "My first meal in the states and it's not sweet potatoes, heard that's popular here?"

Charlie nods, "For thanksgiving"

Liam nods, "never tried them..."

Charlie puts his fork down, looks at Liam "okay, gorgeous....what?"

Liam can't help but laugh, eats the meat and nods in approval. Gwen looks at him, "How long are you staying, Liam?"

He takes his time answering, "I don't intend on leaving..." He finally said.

Alyssa was beaming inside and out, and Gwen could feel it. Her mother winked at Liam. "Well, then, you're in for a treat in a couple weeks when Thanksgiving rolls around! I make a mean sweet potato casserole, the ones with the little marshmallows on top. Oh, and pumpkin pie. Your girl Alyssa has this pumpkin praline cheesecake she makes every year, too. It's to die for."

She shoveled a forkful of meat in her mouth and moaned. "Detective, marry me. I keep the house clean, you keep me fed. Sound good?"

And then it happened. The impossible. Ezra smiled back at Gwen - a full, teeth-baring smile. He chuckled and reached for his glass of wine. "Tempting, Gwen, but where would the pot-toking hippies go?"

Liam looks at the cop,wants to say something smart ass but doesn't. He finally asks, " So, what is the plan with Alyssa? Hide here forever?"

Ezra dabbed at his mouth with a napkin and sat back in his chair. "Until Callum Taylor is apprehended, yes. I'm not letting the girls out of my sight."

He cleared his throat. It seemed the more people were around him, the more he had to work at speaking. He wasn't a man of many words until recently. "Also, I'm taking my time trying to convince my superiors that Alyssa is for real. We're doing research together on cases she's witnessed through her visions. The more information we compile, the better. Imagine the amount of people we can bring down once they know she's legit."

Liam nods, "And hopefully not exploited, what she can see? She's probably going to be in danger rest of life. "

Looks at Alyssa and everyone else, "I didn't mean all that...I'm just, I'm not wrong in thinking that am I?"

Ezra nodded. "I won't lie to you; it's a possibility. Alyssa and I have discussed this. So far the only one I've been speaking with is the captain and there's a long chain of command to get through. I wouldn't want that information getting out. I want to make damned sure I can trust the people I'm talking to. I'll do my best to make sure nothing gets leaked and she can keep her anonymity."