The Remote Seduction (7 page)

“What the hell do you two want?”
 
Sully demands.

“You and Miss Brice are coming with us,”
one of the agents says.

“Think again,” Sully quips.

Sully jumps into Army Ranger mode easily
disarming both agents.
 
Sully is
about to kick the crap out of the agents when Walter grabs Katrina, pointing a
gun at her temple.

“Stop it, Sully.
 
Or I will shoot,” Walter commands.

Sully stops, he glares at Walter.
 
“No you want.
 
You need her.”

Walter points the gun at Sully.
 
“But I don't need you.”

Walter cocks the gun.

“Wait!!” Katrina yells, scared for
Sully.
 
“What do you need me for?”

“I'm sure Sully told you,” Walter states.

“The black hat hacking job,” Sully
elaborates.

Walter glares his ultimatum at Katrina.
“I kill him or you do it.
 
Your
choice.”

“I'll do it!”
 
Katrina quickly responds out of her concern for Sully whom
she believes to be her great love Paolo.

Walter pulls Katrina towards the SUV as
the two agents escort Sully.
 
When
they reach the SUV, Walter motions for Katrina and Sully to get in the far
back.
 
“Get comfy boys and girls,
it's a long ride back to base camp,” Walter smirks.

The SUV drives along a highway. Traffic
is pretty sparse this time of night.

It's quiet in the car.
 
No one is speaking.
 
Sully looks out the window as Katrina
fights to keep her eyes open.
 
She
finally succumbs to her sleepiness, resting her head on Sully's shoulder.

The SUV passes a road sign for a rest
stop.
 
Walter turns to the agent
driving. “Let’s stop, I could use a cold drink.”

The SUV pulls off the highway into the
lot of the rest stop. There are so many tractor trailers in the parking lot,
the SUV has to park a fair walk from the food court and restroom building.

The two agents, Walter and Sully get out
of the SUV.
 
Katrina sleeps soundly
in the far back seat.

“Stay with her,” Walter instructs one of
the agents.

Walter, Sully and the second agent head
for the building.
 
Sully is wearing
his leather jacket.

The agent remaining behind waits until
the three men have left, then he walks a short ways from the vehicle, lights a
cigarette and makes a cell-phone call.

Inside the SUV…

Katrina awakens.
 
She rubs her head as if the tequila was
pounding on her forehead.
 

She gathers her bearings.
 
Looking out the window she sees Walter
and Sully standing outside of the building.
 
From her point of view, the discussion between Sully and
Walter looks fairly chummy.

Katrina moves up to the middle seat.
 
She finds Walter's computer bag and
removes his laptop.
 
She powers up
the computer and easily accesses his programs.

She finds the file on her and all of the
intel that the FSSU has gathered, including photos of her rowing on the river
and the footage from Sully's American flag pin surveillance.

She finds the Paolo/Francesca cyber chat
downloads and the false email that was sent to her.
 
Heartbreak and devastation washes over her. Sully is not
Paolo, she’s been played all along.

She finds the Bug surveillance icon and
clicks on it.
 
She listens to the
conversation between Walter and Sully.
 
As she listens she watches the men from the SUV window.

“You had us worried there when you told
her you were no longer with Hamilton Dynamics,” Walter says to Sully.

“I had to say what would get the job
done,” Sully replies just to keep face with Walter, he’s now more into
snowballing Walter, not Katrina.

“Was she as good of a bang as that hot
chick in Copenhagen?” Walter asks.

“You're a pig,” Sully shakes his head in
disgust.

“Your job gets all the perks,” Walter
admires.

Katrina clicks out from the program.
 
Tears stream down her face.
 
She is distraught at the realization of
being completely used, and by a guy who seduces women as a job requirement.
 

Katrina spies the other agent, yards away
from the SUV, preoccupied with his cigarette and phone call.
 
She quietly opens the door facing away
from the building.
 
She sneaks out
of the vehicle and hurries for the edge of the parking lot and towards a town
off in the distance.

At
Sully’s and Walter’s location…

Sully
thinks for a moment and then looks intently at Walter. “Hey, how did you know
what I said and what happened between Katrina and me?
 
You were only supposed to be tailing us, not surveilling us
and certainly no attacking us.”

Walter
shrugs. “The game changed, we thought it best that you were surprised as it
went along, that way you’d come across as sincere with your little lover.”

“I
am sincere with her!” Sully affirms, deeply believing it.

“Yeah,
I heard your ‘this is real’ plea,” Walter quips. “Doubt she’ll ever believe it
when the ruse is up.”

Sully
looks away from him, disgusted by his co-worker and heartbroken by the fact
that Walter is most likely right.

Walter's cell-phone rings.
 
He answers it and listens to an FSSU
tech tell him his computer has been hacked.

“My computer has been hacked!” He hollers
at Sully as he bolts for the SUV.

“Shit!!!!” Sully exclaims as he hoofs it
towards the SUV looking just as devastated as Katrina did.

Walter and Sully, followed by the agent,
have just about made it back to the SUV. Walter motions to the agent on the
cell-phone, pointing to the SUV. That agent, the one closest to the SUV,
hurries back to the vehicle.
 
He
sees that the door is open and Katrina is gone.
 
“She's gone,” the agent says.

“Damn it!!!” Walter snarls.

The agents, Walter and Sully look around searching
for a clue as to where Katrina headed.
 
Sully thinks he spies some movement off in the distance near the wooded
area in front of the town in the distance.

“She's heading to town!” Sully informs
them as he takes off on foot after her.
 

“Go with Sully,” Walter instructs one of
the agents.
 
The agent heads after
Sully.

Walter and the second agent hop into the
SUV. The vehicle peels out of the parking lot.

*****

Katrina has almost made it through the
wooded area; the town is in sight.

Sully is not that far behind her.
 
He can hear her up ahead.
 
“Katrina!” He calls out.

Inside the SUV…

Walter has the Bug surveillance
activated.
 
He’s heard Sully call
for Katrina.

Walter speaks into his Bluetooth talking
to the agent pursuing Sully.
 
“Where are you?”

From his location, not too far behind
Sully, the agent answers Walter. “We're nearing the edge of the woods, the town
is in sight.”

Katrina makes it out of the woods, darts
across the street and runs down another side street.

Sully is closing in on her, the agent is
now with him.
 
They cross the
street and run down the same side street that Katrina chose.

Katrina reaches an intersection. She
picks another street to run down.

Sully reaches the same intersection.
 
He didn't see which direction Katrina
went.

“You go that way,” Sully tells the agent,
pointing in one direction.
 
The
agent hurries down the street.
 
Sully chooses the street Katrina chose.
 
He runs down it.

Katrina keeps running at top speed, she’s
in excellent shape and not nearing fatigue. Her running is taking her into a
more seedy side of town. The lights are less frequent, the streets are
narrowing, and the vibe is unsettling.

She turns down another street and reaches
a dive bar, a dead end and an alley.
 
She runs into the dive bar.

Inside the dive bar…

The gang playing pool and drinking booze
does not look all that friendly.
 
The aging hooker does.
 
The
hooker looks at Katrina; she can see in Katrina's eyes and by Katrina’s
demeanor that something is seriously wrong.

Outside of the dive bar…

Moments later Sully runs down the same
street Katrina had run down. He looks around.
 
He sees the alley and the dive bar.
 
He decides to check out the bar.
 
Sully goes inside.

Inside the dive bar…

Sully looks around.
 
No sign of Katrina.
 
The gang looks meaner, like they're
ready to tear Sully apart.
 
The
hooker rubs up against Sully.

“Wanna buy me a drink?” She drawls
seductively.

“I'm looking for someone,” Sully tells
her.

“I can be that someone,” the hooker
flirts.

“Not interested thanks,” Sully says politely,
and then he leaves the bar. Once gone, Katrina comes out from hiding behind a
couple of big, scary bikers.

“Thanks,” Katrina whispers with heartfelt
gratitude.

“Let me buy you a drink,” the hooker
responds with kindness.

Katrina has a seat at the bar, her back
to the door.
 
“I could really go
for something with tons of caffeine, sugar and ice.”

“Rough night?” The hooker figures.

“Too many shots.
 
Too many lies.”

“Honey, that's my Friday night,” the
hooker quips.

The door opens and a man enters.
 
The hooker sees him and coos. “Now if
that ain't easy on the eyes.”

It's Felix.
 
Oozing as much sex appeal as he did when he was getting out
of the pool.
 
His dark, gloriously
fitted clothes and smoldering expression only add to his sultry mystery.

 
He takes a seat next to Katrina.
 
Now she finally looks up and looks at the man who just took
a seat next to her.
 
Their eyes
lock - another intense connection like the one they had in the bookstore.
 
A connection that could stay linked
forever, or until someone breaks the gaze.
 
Which Felix does, reluctantly.
 

“Good evening, ladies,” he says, his
voice strong and sure, soft and seductive.

“Hiya, heartthrob,” the hooker flirts.

“You were in my store earlier,” Katrina
manages to say, her cheeks burning from the heat Felix is radiating in her
direction.
 
She’s not sure if she’s
more overwhelmed at seeing him or what has happened this evening, but one thing
she does know deep inside, as her eyes lock with Felix’s, is that her brief
moment with this stranger earlier today was more genuine and real than her
entire night with Sully.

“I was,” he smiles tenderly at her.
 
There’s a bit of a flush in his cheeks
as he remembers the encounter.

“Have you been following me?” She asks,
completely confused by all of the beleaguering events of the day.

“Indirectly.
 
I was following Walter.
 
He was following you,” Felix explains.
 

“Who are you?”
 
Katrina asks.

“I'm the one they want you to steal
from,” His gaze intensifies.
 
“Would you like a ride?”

The hooker interjects before Katrina has
a chance to answer.
 
“You'd be a
fool not to take it, honey.”

Outside of the dive bar…

Felix and Katrina head for a limo parked
in front.

Sigmund opens the door for Felix and
Katrina.
 
Katrina hesitates before
getting into the car.

“I am Felix Russo, this is my
associate.
 
Sigmund gives Katrina a
kind, fatherly smile.
 
We will
bring you home,” Felix says with so much warmth and honesty it melts away any
bit of doubt she has.
 
She gets
into the limo, followed by Felix.