He was so far into Soldier Mode he almost missed her agitation. Almost. As she came back from her room, he was pacing at the front door and stopped when she said his name. She was rubbing at her belly--he stared, shaken, and cursed himself. He should have never come here--they wouldn't have bothered to harm her if he hadn't.
Tom forced himself to calm down a little and reassure her. "It's okay," he said, even though it kind of wasn't. "I'll take you back to Atlanta with me. I'll protect you, alright?"
He gently took one of her bags, and grabbed tilted his head for her to follow him. With his gun hand still ready, he cleared the area for any signs of disturbance, but there was nothing. Maybe he'd been wrong, and those men where the only two around... didn't feel right. Having no choice, he crossed the open area, and held open the door to his car for her. The car was black, sleek, fast and military issue. It looked like something out of a Bond movie, except for the solid roof and the bullet-proof windows.
"Get in, I'll take the bags..." He put them in the trunk, and shut the lid. Just he reached the driver's side door, a shot rang out, grazing his arm. He cursed, firing back randomly, and dove inside. He had the car in gear, pealing out of the driveway before the second shot rang out, but it just bounced off the window, thank God.
Tom tried to reassure her as he concentrated on driving, mumbling, "It's okay," and "I'll explain in a minute," to keep her fears at bay. His shoulder was bleeding and his knee hurt like a bitch. Francis, the citizen doctor he'd found back in Atlanta, wasn't going to be happy with him. And neither were his superiors, really.
Several more shots hit them getting out of the development, and then a car chased after them. Tom floored it, making for the highway. He wasn't going to get in a firefight with a pregnant woman in his care, dammit!
Another car squealed out of an alley ahead of them, cutting them off. Tom cursed loudly this time, and uttered a small prayer. Rather than crash into the car ahead of them, he turned a hard right, and drove over a curb, bouncing into an abandoned park. He wound through the swingset and passed the monkey bars, and bounced back on the road the other side. Both cars now behind him, he went instead for the back roads. The Russians might've had the upper hand in firepower, but both Tom and Brook had been raised here.
One frantic hour of dirt roads and cursing later, Tom finally lost them and again, aimed for the highway. He glanced at Brook.
"Sorry. Lost them. They were Russians... they followed me back from Atlanta, apparently. I heard the two back at the house arguing. They spotted me leaving the city, and figured they might be able to capture me if I was caught away from my men. Obviously, they were mistaken..." Shaking his head to clear the two men he'd killed from his mind--they hadn't been the first, wouldn't be the last--he added, "Again, sorry. I didn't know they'd tailed me... if I'd paid attention..." No use wallowing either. "I'll take you back to Atlanta with me. You'll be safe there, I promise."