Raine walked up, counting the door numbers, "uh huh...uh huh...and here we are...err, why's that open?" He raised an querked an eyebrow and peered in carefully and quietly to see what was up. Thinking, maybe she didn't forget or forgive and this was an ambush. Then the man flying out into the hall, caught him by surprize. "Geez..." he recognized the individual quickly and gave him a swift kick across the chops to knock him out, and then looked back inside, while reaching for his own weapon.

The gunman turned seeing the other man. "Who the fuck are you?"

"I'm the friendly distraction." he smiled innocently. That was enough distraction for Lara to wing her flute glass at the gunman and then leap off the bed at him with an extended kick.

Brigit saw the movement and turned in order to see the gunman fall. She knelt grabbing his gun and smiled at him. "You know, I'd like to know why you two assholes ruined a perfectly good buzz."

Raine revealed what his weapon of choice was...a cellphone, which he put away quickly. "Hmm...people sure are jumpy around here." Lara looked at him, and then to the thugs, "So...these aren't with you?" he shook his head, "Nope...they are why I'm here though...seems your friend here is a target for some big wig. Mind if i come in?"

"This you're buddy Lara?" Brigit asked as she tossed the gun into the bathroom and looked at the two thugs. "Should we call the hotel detective?"

The fact that Raine had said she was a target didn't seem to hit her still slightly drunken mind

Lara shook her head, "No...I really don't want a trail of where we're going...legal matters tend to slow me down. I say we..." Raine cut in, "Dump 'em in a back alley waste bin and let the rats take care of them." Lara glared at Raine, but he was pretty close on her ideals as well and just shrugged, while dragging the one in by his ankles

Brigit felt dizzy again and leaned against the wall... "Okay... Next time, Lara, we're just going to a good pub okay..."

Raine smiled, "Yeah...at least there, they'll clean up the mess." He started tieing up the two with a lamp cord and then dragged them off to the bathroom for the time being.

Lara sighed and rubbed her temples for abit, then looked at the one and a half bottles still left, 'Hmm...okay, I need a drink."

Brigit kicked the door shut and sank down to the floor. "Okay, so bud, why you here? I mean last we saw you were at the airport." She looked directly at raine not sure what to think of him.

A sound of a few more kicks and punches were heard from the bathroom and then he emerged with a smile, "Who me? Well...I recognized Lady Croft here and then saw Heckle and Jeckle eyeing you two carefully, seeing one was armed. So, I listened to them...heard something about a package...which my dear, turns out to be you...and did some tracking and found you two here. Lara's right though...didn't take much to find you guys."

"Pa... That's why he didn't follow us so much... That fucking bastard already know what I'm doing.... When I get my hands on that jerk..... He's going to die very painfully... Maybe I'll bleed him... Serves him right for hiring these jerks...."

Lara finished a paper cup full of champagne and grinned, "Oh well...at least we know it's something worth dieing over. That makes it much more valuable."

She looked up. "Hey... Quit hogging it all." She got up and filled her glass again. "So... Let's see... We have Brandon searching... Will he follow? Because I'd rather not have to be careful when we're out in the jungle... I mean that would be a drag having to keep an eye on our tracks, and make sure our guides don't gut us."

"Well then ladies, you are in luck....cause before you is the great, and rather good looking. Raine Sheppard...tracker, explorer, and..."

Now he was cut off, "Thief, scoudrel, and two bit hood..." Lara smiled and raised a glass to his frowning face.

Lara went over to Brigit, "Umm...girl, you gonna be okay?" She patted her shoulder with sympathy, "You don't look so hot."

Raine was about to put in a lineabout how hot she really looked, but figured that should be saved for a raining day. Instead he just sat on a chair and thumbed around at the left over food.

"I'm fine... Really.." She attempted to stand and fell back down. "Maybe I've had enough... I'll sit right here a bit... What's the plan though?" She asked pulling one leg up so that she could wrap her arms around it and watch them. "We still on for our meeting? Or shall we go now?"

Raine then walked out, looked around and started emptying the dinner trolly, "I'll need this to move 'em out." A few minutes of hoisting, lifting and pushing limbs in, and Raine had a nice tight package of thug in a box, covered with a bed sheet, "There...I really hope that one arm was broken before I put him in there." Shaking his head raine begun to walk out, "I'll be in..." he checked the card that was formerly a thug's, "...249...wake me for breakfast."

Lara waved him out and went back to caring for Brigit, "Now, now...too much to drink and not enough body mass to make up for it. It's tooth picks like yourself that really can't hold your booze...when will you people learn that."

"Hey, I can handle tequila, and rum..." She gave a small grin. "Don't worry, I don't get hangovers." She smiled and stood to get out of Raine's way.

Raine smiled and plucked the menu from their table as he passed, along with a pinch of shrimp from Lara's plate, "You two have fun now...but not too much fun. Well...without inviting me over of course." He popped the shrimp in his mouth and was escorted by the ear by Lara.

"Get the hell out...geez. Now I know why I choose to forget Italy. You ruined a perfectly good vacation."

He nodded, "Yeah...but you never complained until you knew I was a theif. Goodnight, Lady Croft. And Goodnight Miss Jones."

Then the door was slammed in his face by Lara, "Yeah...whatever..."

"Italy? I take back my comment earlier about Itallians." She made it to her bed and plopped down on the edge of it, reaching for her bag to get out a bottle.

Lara shrugged and then went to straighten her bed, "I don't think he's Italian...I'm not sure what he is....annoying, is all I recall."

She nodded nibbling at her dinner. "So leave without waking him I guess?"

"If I had the nerve I'd make sure he never woke up again...but..." She pulled her sheets back and sighed to herself, "...umm...yeah, screw'im...We'll be okay without any man, as you've said." Lara then turned around and got a two piece pj set out to put on from her pack, "It was interesting that you've become a target even in Europe. That's one good thing he's brought us...but then again...we would've figured that out ourselves. Bah...leave him."

An obvious struggle was going on inside Lara's mind.

Brigit looked at her. "I'm sorry to involve you." She brushed the hair out of her face and thought about leaving the address for Lara and going off on her own. She'll find it a little after me, but I can draw attention from her...

Lara went to the washroom and got changed in to her PJs and walked back out, pouring one last glass of the bubbly for herself, "Cheers...to doing everything a guy can do...better." With that, she shallowed is back and tossed the paper cup to the floor smiling, "Good riddence"

Brigit heard her as she snuggled into her bed, having had changed to a baggy sleep shirt. "Yeah... stupid men..."

Lara crawling into bed after shutting off all of the lights and closed her eyes, "Goodnight."

"G'night." Brigit mumbled softly.

After Raine disposed of said thugs and order a decent meal for himself, late night pay per view movies and a pack of smokes were his friends for the evening...stretching out on the large bed, "Ahh...now this is the life."

Brigit waited until she could hear Lara's soft breathing and quietly got out of bed, grabbing her gear.

Lara moans softly in her sleep and rolls over, mumbling about some odd purple dragon and a lost gold treasure...then the topic changes to eating chicken wings at next years superbowl.

Brigit quickly dressed in the bathroom, tucking her sleep shirt into one of the pockets of her pack before she started for the door of their suite, leaving the key on the bathroom counter with a note that told Lara to go to the meeting.

Brigit quietly opened the door a crack seeing the light didn't fall on the bed, she slipped out, quietly shutting the door.

A cough and clearing of a throat is heard, "Hmm...you pack pretty heavily for someone that's just getting ice...I assume that's why you're sneaking out in the middle of the night?" Raine exhaled his cigarette smoke away from brigit, though he was standing right next to her, pistol in hand, "I figured you guys would attempt to snow me...so since there was nothing but chick flicks on the BBC I decided to hang out here."

Brigit gasped seeing the gun. "Look, I'm trouble okay... you don't want me hanging around..." Her eyes didn't lift from the gun.

"Well then, trouble...you're right, I wouldn't want you around if you were a burden to Lara or myself. But Lara doesn't pack burdens with her...so you must be something else." He spun the pistol on a finger and then stopped with it up-side-down, and handed it to Brigit, "Trouble's gonna need a way to defend herself. Curtasey of the man I'd like to call, lefty now."

"I..." She took it after a moment. "You're not afraid that I'll shoot you with it?" She asked knowing that she wouldn't.

"Shoot me? Umm...did Lara tell you what happened in...hmm...she probably did. Well, either way. I don't think you're gonna shoot me...it's loud and would wake Lara...and you'd be caught, and then nothing but a bloody me would be accomplished. And we all don't want that." Raine smiled calmly and then flicked his butt to the ground and stepped on it, "You look like you have a good head on your shoulders...know when friends are more valuable then freedom. It'll help in the long run."

Brigit gave him a slight nod. Then moved to leave. "Hm... could you make sure she's okay later? I mean, I don't want her pissed about me leaving like this..."

Raine sighed and shook his head, "Listen, Trouble...she isn't gonna listen to me, of all the people in the world. She'll be pissed that you disappeared. My question to you is, why? Why run where you know there's danger...when you have a person to protect you? I don't get it."

"Because, I have a feeling she'll have an easier time of getting to where we're going if I draw the attention off her." Brigit said starting to walk off.

He nodded, "Ahhh...a diversion...gotcha. So what happens when they kill you, or capture you?" Raine croutched down and leaned against the wall close to the doorway, "I'm just wondering...cause those guys...they really wanted you...and so did...umm...now how was his voice...I don't want...I don't want excuses...I don't...that's it." He pulled off the tone of the man over the phone with this question, "Who is this guy, and why does he want you?"

Brigit froze and turned. Brandon hired them... She looked down. "He's... He's a treasure hunter... He came to me to decipher some ancient texts for him... And... He thinks I didn't tell him everything there is to know about what I read..." She chewed on her lower lip. "Right now he probably wants me dead, or to lead him instead of Lara to the treasure from his stupid map."

Raine cleared his throat again, and smiled sympathetically, "And you don't think this guy....who's willing to hire around the globe, won't come after Lara, just to get to you? He's aware that she's involved, and probably figured she now shares your knowldge. Of course he'll be after you both...dead or alive, cause...Trouble...Lara's no joke, he'll know who she is and what she's able to do...he'll kill her with or without you present."

Shit, he has a point. She turned away from him. "She stands a better chance without me around. I left her my notebook. I can jump on the next flight to South America and be gone..." She said biting her lip as she walked off trying to seem like she knew what she was doing other than just winging it.

He smiled and then it grew to a chuckle, "Okay Trouble...I'll see you in South America then." With that he turned back to staring at the floor and lighting another cigarette. "Man...even when you're not fishing for info, you get it...good one, dude...still got it."

Brigit only made it as far as the elevator before one of the two men who Brandon had hired stepped out of it. She recognized him as the man who had tried to grab her in the bathroom.

"You know brat, that hurt like hell earlier."

Raine's ear perked in the quiet hallway, "Who the hell is she talking to at 3 in the morning?" He looked down the hall, but the elevator wasn't within view. All he could see were shadows on the wall from around the corner.

Brigit kicked out, hitting the man in the knees. She dived for the elevator, only to have him grab her ankle making her yelp as she hit the ground.

"Hmm...that doesn't sound good. Great...couldn't she get out of ear shot at least?" Raine stood up and ran down the hall quickly, spinning around the corner to face the elevator, "Hey!!! Pick on somebody your own size...Though I think George Wendt isn't available in France...so someone half your size...me."

Brigit was being held down, the man's hand over her neck. She struggled as he looked up at Raine. Brigit threw him over her, into the wall and sat a moment trying to catch her breath. Luckily I have a sketchbook and not a camera with me...

The man groaned getting up, holding one side where it was clear he was bleeding.

Raine cocked his head to the side, "Sit the fuck down, tubby." With that, he came across with a quick snap kick to the man's chest, putting him to the wall again.

"These guys must really want you, Trouble. They're willing to kill themselves to get to you." Raine looked the guy up and down, "Go back to the room...somethings not right here."

The man fell against the wall with a groan. Brigit stood still trying to catch her breath. "I know for a fact that your boss would want me alive bastard.." She gasped backing to the far wall hoping that Lara wasn't up.

"Did...did you shoot him?" Raine tryed to see what the wound was from.

"No..." She said staying put. Her eyes fell on the wounded man. He smiled up at her. "He's armed..." She said drawing the gun that Raine had given her. "It's from drawing a knife." She said as the man threw the said knife at Raine.

"Son of a..." Raine's eyes flashed for a moment, as fear struck him, as the blade got inches within his face...but stopped. Lara threw the caught knife to the side, and stood there behind Raine, "Would someone tell me, just what the hell is going on?"

Brigit aimed the gun at the man, not taking her eyes off him. "I didn't recognize the marks before... That guy's insane... He has about three more knives in him. And I mean in, not on... Look at the one that was thrown... It's almost paper thin right?" She asked as the man laughed.

"You do remember then Little girl." He asked with a grin. She shuddered slightly not answering him.

Raine raised an eyebrow, "What the...? Oh, cap that sorry bastard's ass then. Dude tried to kill me." Lara sighed and quickly drew a derranger from her PJs, "Now...that we've established that you can talk...speak, knife man." She drew the small hammer back with a click, "Or I'll disarm you internally, one bullet at a time."

"Lara... He's one of the gaurdians...." She whispered. "A gun won't kill him." She didn't move her aim from the man.

"Ah, so you were able to read all the text... My partner was human. Pity you killed him. He was useful enough." The man stood and moved closer to them. "One of my other brothers should have dealt with the one that got away from us. You on the other hand dear sweet scholar, aren't going to die yet. I need you to get back home." He took another step closer. Brigit stepped back more, her hand shaking.

Raine gave a half glance back towards Brigit, "Excuse me? He's a what now?" Lara just shook her head, and looked at Brigit being fully packed, "Right then...we leave. For now....get to the car, I'll slow him down." And in saying such, she fired off the two shells that were in the gun, one for each knee.

Raine nodded and took Brigit's hand, "Time to fly little lady, " in doing so, took the gun away from her. He didn't like how she could point, but not shoot.

Brigit bit her lip letting him take the gun. Her eyes caught the man's as he fell. "Shit... Lara, I need to get my notebook. If he's right then the doc's dead. I need the book so we can find the temple." She said quickly.

Lara was facing the exit, getting ready to run for it, "Your what?" In the hurried frustration, Lara just left the room without her key card...just what she had on...in bed.

Raine piped up, "Fine...I got it." He then started running fast towards the door, and took flight with a Warrior's Spirit cry, and kicked the door in, "Quickly now...Lara...I'll meet you at the car!"

She nodded and ran down the stairs quickly.

Brigit scrambled into the room and reached for Lara's bag. She grabbed it and ran for the door to catch up with Raine. "Got it, come on..." She looked towards the elevator, then grabbed his arm heading for the stairwell on the other end of the building.

Raine allowed himself to be dragged, though was fasinated to see how this guy kept moving, "That's pretty impressive. Oh right...the running for our lives bit." He followed Brigit down the stairs and out the side emergency exit door, "I think this constitutes as an emergency, don't you?"

Lara bursted out of the main lobby with eyes all watching her runing in a two piece jama set, "Vallet, moi l'auto!" She demanded in all seriousness. The Vallet looked confused, but then shrugged and retrieved her key for the Jaguar, "shall iI pull it around ma'am?" She snatched the keys out of his hands, "Naw...I'll get it." She then ran towards her car, and within moments was pulling up in front of Brigit and Raine, "Hop in!"

She nodded holding the bag close to her. One hand reached up to a small leather pouch that hung around her neck, under her shirt. Brandon will be needing this to even get near the temple... and the guardians will be hunting it according to the legend... I can't let Lara and Raine know about it though... Not until we're closer... She thought panting for air. She glanced up as Lara pulled up. "Right." She climbed into the back seat.

Raine hopped in as ordered and smiled, "Nice wheels...." though it wasn't the car's interior that he was admiring, as the ready-for-bed-wear Lara was sitting next to him.

"Oh, get a life," She frowned and then pulled out of the driveway quickly, "Okay navigator...lead us to where we're going."

"Down to the river front. There's a houseboat with a red box in front. That will be the doc's." She said pulling a small object from the pouch to look at it. The object shivered in her hand. She pulled a tattered book from Lara's pack skimming through it trying to find something.

"Right...okay. Oh, Brigit, dear...do you think you have something in your bag that might fit me? I seem to be catching a drift, if you caught my meaning." Lara glared over at Raine again, who oddly enough wasn't looking back at her, instead he was turned around and watching Brigit. "You moron, turn around, she's like SO too young for you!."

Raine got a cuff up side of the head from Lara and he straightened up in his seat, "Sorry...I was just looking at what she was doing...have some faith in me."

Lara gritted her teeth, "I had faith in you once...you blew that right out the window."

Brigit grinned. "I got your bag too. It's why I had to go back. I stuffed the book into your bag when I carried it in from the car."