“Can you hear me?” Teddy whispered.
“Yeah.”
“I spy with my little eye a couple of unfriendlies, both armed, on both sides of our target. Thoughts?”
“We need to draw them out. I’ll be bait, you rescue.”
“No, I’ll—” Too late. Willow instantly started banging on the garage door. Both guys walked toward the sound. Teddy wasted no time. He climbed through the loft window and landed softly onto a pile of hay. Without hesitation, he slid around to a ladder and shimmed to the ground below. One quick look back and he could see the two guys were deciding what to do.
“We were told to stay here,” the guy in black said.
“What if it’s them? We should open it.”
“They would have called us.” The guy in black turned back to face Eri and Charlie, just as Teddy ducked behind a post holding a horse blanket.
The banging came again, and then Willow’s voice. “Hey, who is in my barn? You don’t belong in there. I’m calling the cops.” There were footsteps as if she was retreating. Clever girl.
“I thought you said they rented this place.”
“I thought so, too.” The guy in black licked his lips. “Go handle it. We can’t have any witnesses. And definitely no cops.”
The other guy nodded and exited through the side door. And then there was one. Teddy fingered a knife in his belt, lifted it out, aimed, and tossed. It landed at the base of the man’s skull. With a slight moan, he folded over onto the floor.
Teddy ran forward and removed the hoods from both of his friends’ heads. Their eyes lit up, but their mouths were taped shut with duct tape. “Sorry about this.” With one pull, he yanked each off.
“Ouch,” Eri said. “No need to get my lip waxed anytime soon.”
“You wax your lip?” Charlie said, with an amused grin.
“Shut up, Charlie.” Eri frowned. “All women do eventually.”
Teddy cut the plastic bindings from both their hands. “Can you walk? We still have one more bad guy.”
“Not anymore,” Willow said in his ear. “Target neutralized.”
Eri rubbed her hands and paced a few steps. “Does anyone else think this is too simple?”
Charlie nodded. “We weren’t the targets. They had a fifty percent chance to get away with Laura and Myers, and they did.”
Teddy sighed. “One point them, zip to us.”
The three of them walked through the side door and met Willow at the car.
“So, what now, boss?” Teddy asked, looking at Eri.
“Ha, I’m hardly the one in charge. This will be Charlie’s big moment.” She faced him and grinned. “Break out your equipment, honey. We have some bad guys to fry.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Charlie climbed in the back and retrieved his laptop. “But I don’t think we should stay here. The bad guys could come back, and there are no guarantees the cops won’t show, too. Two dead bodies are no good.”
“Yeah, let’s move. I know a place not far from here.” Teddy walked to the driver’s side and opened the door. “When I was little, my mom and dad would come visit my uncle on his turkey farm…gross animals, by the way. Nothing worse than turkey poop and the sound of thousands of gobblers at once. Man, I tell you, it made you want to pray for Thanksgiving.” He climbed in and joined Charlie. “Not that I don’t always love Thanksgiving. Nothing like mashed potatoes and stuffing. My grandma made great stuffing. I especially love the pecans and olives she put in that bird. Not that my uncle ever had us over to kill one of those nasty turkeys, mind you. Just to eat. And the gravy—”
“Teddy?” Charlie said with a bit of annoyance.
“Sorry. Yes. Anyway, his farm is about thirty minutes from here. He would probably let us stay the night. We could get rested and cleaned up, look stuff up, like you do. What do you think?”
“Sounds good.” Charlie hit Teddy on the back and smiled at Eri.
Teddy knew he prattled and he always detected the annoyance smile, but he didn’t care. It was who he was, and it kept him sane. “Then strap in ya’ll, we’re going to a turkey farm.”
Chapter Twenty-One
Laura must have fallen asleep. When she opened her eyes, there was a soft glow from a single light bulb hanging to her right. She glanced around the space. Some sort of basement. Myers lay strapped to a bed, his skin visibly moist, and patches of blood lay under his nostrils. His eyes were closed.
“Myers,” she hissed.
No response.
“Myers,” she said again.
The door to her left squeaked open, and Helena entered. A weird grin decorated her face. She wore latex gloves and vinyl apron. That meant only one thing—torture. “So, Myers seemed to enjoy his time with Harding, and you’re next. Only you get me. You lucky, girl, you.”
Flashbacks to when Helena had helped them torture that one security guy in Washington D.C. came into Laura’s mind. No doubt now, this woman was well trained—a bona fide agent. Never had she been what they thought—a sad daughter mourning her father. “So, I’m guessing you’re not Julio’s daughter.”
“Perceptive.”
“So, the losing your dad act was all a ruse.”
“Not exactly.”
“Why, Helena? Why are you doing this? We were your family.”
“I had a family!” She grabbed Laura up by the hair and tossed her hard onto a metal cot. Something sharp hit Laura’s hip, causing it to sting. The chains from the wall pulled at her wrists, drawing her back.
“And I did lose my father. Just not Julio.” Helena undid one chain at a time and cuffed Laura’s wrists to a metal pole that ran the length of the cot on both sides. “You’re so naïve, Black.”
“Chappelle.”
“Not…any…more,” Helena sang.
Laura tried to get up, wanting more than anything to rip that disgusting grin off her face. “What is wrong with you?”
“What is wrong with me?” Helena shook her head. “No, it’s what is wrong with you. That is the reason we are all here, Agent Black. The reason Bryce had to die is on you.”
Laura glared at her. “Don’t ever say his name again.”
“It’s the reason Denise had to die.” Helena turned her back and zipped open a leather knife case. Ironically, the case had been a gift from Bryce and Laura for Christmas. “It’s the reason for everything, really.”
Fine, Laura would bite. “What? What is the reason?”
Helena turned around, methodically rocking a four-inch knife hilt in the palm of her other hand. “You don’t remember me from before, but I remember you.” She circled around the cot. “I was only seventeen. It had been a glorious day. I had just gotten an acceptance to college in the States and couldn’t wait to tell my father all about it. I came home super excited, only to find him shot twice…once in the back and once in the head…dead.” Helena straddled the cot. “Shot by your hand.”
Laura stared at her, unsure how to take this news. In a mere whisper, she asked, “Who was your father?”
“Ignacio Perez.” Tears began to well in her eyes. “And you murdered him!” She jammed the knife hard into Laura’s left shoulder.
Laura screamed. Pain pierced through her upper body. Blood pooled around the embedded weapon, running down her chest and arm. Once she could focus, she began to remember the name Perez, just not the incident. But the betrayal now had a name, a reason. Helena was trying to avenge her father. It was why she killed Bryce. To get to me. Though it didn’t change how Laura felt, it did make her understand. “I’m sorry about your dad, Helena. I’m sure I was only following Greenstone’s orders.”
“You’re sure? Like you don’t remember?” Helena lifted her leg back to the other side of the cot, toward the table, and reached for another knife. “You don’t get to apologize. You just get to suffer like I suffered.”
“Helena, please,” Myers said, obviously now awake.
Laura turned to face him. His eyes were red and swollen, his face ashen and sweaty. H
e nodded to the knife still in Laura’s shoulder. Knowing him, he was trying to distract Helena so Laura could find a way to palm it.
“Helena, please?” she mocked. “Myers, you’re so ridiculous. Who gets married as a teenager anyway? Trust me, I did you and Denise a favor. There was no way that was going to last.”
Myers thrashed around like a caged animal, trying to fight against the bindings holding him to the bed.
Laura tried to use her neck to get the knife. It was too far down to reach.
“So, who gets it next?” Helena dug in her pocket and pulled out a coin. “Heads, Laura gets it. Tails, it’s all Myers.” She flipped the coin and let it fall to the floor.
“Why are you doing this? Doesn’t my love for you over the past year count for anything?” Myers tried to reach their captor.
“Heads it is.” She grabbed another knife and jammed it toward Laura’s left hand.
It slid between Laura’s two fingers, missing most of her hand. She winced, but the pain was manageable.
“Aw, better luck next time.” Helena pouted. “And there will be a next time.” She spun on her heel and faced Myers. “And what love? I went into your home knowing this day would come. It was the only thing that kept me sane.”
“Hardly,” Laura sneered.
“You deserve this.”
“Maybe, but why Myers? I thought you cared about him.”
Helena crossed to where he laid and ran a hand over his now bald head. “Oh, I do. But I needed a witness, and he drew the short straw.” She leaned over and kissed him hard on the mouth. When she pulled back, Myers spit in her face.
Helena didn’t even flinch. A sardonic smile crossed her lips as she slowly raised a hand to wipe off the spittle. “Well, I think that’s enough for now. Get your rest, my two friends. You’re going to need it.” She started to walk out, then turned back. “Oh, what am I thinking? Laura’s rule number one, never leave weapons in the vicinity of an agent.” With one swift move, Helena yanked both knives out of Laura’s body.
Laura screamed. Her head spun, and then everything went black.
****
When she opened her eyes again, Laura sat on the floor, once again chained in the dark next to Myers. Her shoulder throbbed, but it felt bandaged. Why torture her and then treat the wounds? It didn’t make sense. “Myers?”
“Yeah, I’m here.”
“She treated my wounds.”
“Yeah, mine too.”
“Why? Doesn’t that seem strange?” Laura scooted closer. His arm came around her. “Are your hands untied?”
“I’m in some kind of harness, but my arms are unrestricted.”
“Can you do anything to free us?”
“No, I tried. You have a lock on yours and without anything to pick it with—”
Laura smiled. “Then we’re in luck, my friend. Under my armpit, I keep a small pin for such an occasion.”
Myers laughed. “Of course, you do.”
It took some fancy maneuvering, and a dozen angst-filled tries, but they finally managed to get the pin out.
“Whatever you do, do not drop it. This is our one shot.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Myers chuckled. He went to work on the lock. Luckily, breaking and entering was one of his many skills. Charlie always joked he was better, but Laura knew Myers was the best thief after having witnessed him successfully pick many locks over the last two years. His body pushed into hers, his breath hot on her neck as he tried to free her. The closeness caught her off guard. She hadn’t been this close with anyone but Bryce in a long time. Tears trickled down her face.
She didn’t know why this moment was overwhelming her. The reality that Bryce and Denise were truly gone hit like a huge weight to her chest. Not really a great time to grieve, but who really gets to choose that? Without warning, sobs wracked her entire body.
Myers stopped and pulled back. “Are you okay?” His tone was soft with concern.
“Remember your moment at the gas station last year?”
“I understand.” He pulled her close and held her tight. “Take your time. I’m here.”
She nodded, though he could not see her. After a moment, she breathed deep and said, “It’s okay. Continue. I’ll be fine. I just really needed to get that out.”
“Grief is a wily monster and hits at the most inopportune times.” A click sounded in the darkness. “But there is a silver lining…” He pulled at the straps, and her wrists were free. “You’re the toughest person I know. Ready to get out of here, my dear friend?”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Helena stared at the monitors, yawning. The green hue of the night vision made Laura and Myers ghostly white. Watching them gave her a sense of power, but at the same time, it made prolonging her retribution harder. Suddenly, she realized they were moving away from where they were chained. Well, that didn’t take long. “Hey, it looks like they’re free.”
Alicia leaned over her right shoulder and smiled. “Perfect. Now the fun begins. I’ll go get Harding.”
“Why can’t we just shoot her and be done with it?” Annoyed, Helena turned away from the monitors in the rolling chair.
“Because this isn’t just about your revenge, or mine. It’s bigger than that, and you know it.” She spun back and walked toward Helena. “This is about that woman being the bane of not only our existence but a nuisance and a traitor to the S.I.U. Besides, Harding is not even the top dog anymore. I’m not even sure if he’s sanctioned to kill her.” Alicia patted Helena’s arm and walked back to the door. “Which means, we surely aren’t.”
Helena peered back at the monitor with disgust. Maybe an accident could occur, and Laura would just die. All this torture, as fun as it might be, was getting old. Helena had waited several years to make this day come true, and it could only have one ending—the funeral of Laura Black. Get on with it already.
Myers and Laura appeared to be scanning the room. Likely looking for weapons and a way out. Little did they know this ruse was just part of the plan. They think they are all smart, so why don’t they know that? “Good luck, guys. You’re going to need it,” Helena mocked.
Harding walked in and nudged her out of the way to get a better view of the monitor. “Have they found the exit yet?”
“No. They just got free from their bindings.”
He sat in the chair closest to the keyboard and hit a few buttons to change the camera setting. The two of them stood looking right into the new camera angle. Laura whispered something to Myers. He nodded and then boosted her up on his shoulders. She reached forward, her hand covering the lens, and then the feed turned to static.
“Well, we had to know that would happen,” Helena snickered.
“Of course.” Harding punched a few more keys, and another view came onto the monitor. “There.”
“Out of curiosity,” Helena leaned against the counter, “When are we going to kill them?”
Harding clicked a few more buttons, turning on a few more cameras, and responded dryly, “Never.”
Fire burned in her chest and cheeks. She stood with crossed arms. “What do you mean never?”
“Never. This is about conditioning them back into good soldiers. Laura was the best to ever serve at S.I.U., and Myers has proven his worth time and time again. So, the plan is to turn them back into loyal agents. I thought you understood that?” Harding turned to stare her in the eye, his tone filled with a strong warning. “No one will be killing them. You will not be killing them.”
It took every ounce of control for Helena to not scream and punch this guy in the face, to not reach for her gun and shoot this man where he sat. Anger blurred her vision, but using all she had learned here, she worked to control her breathing and any sign of physical emotion. The worst thing she could do was play her hand too early. Letting Harding know how she really felt would only end in her death. It was now evident Laura was his prize, and Helena was merely a puppet to bring her to him. One inclination that she planned to defy him, and Har
ding would settle it with a bullet to her brain. No hesitation. She had seen it before when someone disobeyed him. No, she would play along—for now. “Of course. What do we do next?”
“Keep watching them. This entire place was rigged by Gael. The man knows his torture. Gotta love him. Sleep deprivation. Hunger. Thirst. Fluctuating temperatures. Lights too bright, lights too dim, annoying sounds…you name it. In one week, they will be begging for us to end their lives. Instead, we will begin to build them back up.” Harding hit a key and a thermometer on the screen rose to 100 degrees. “We’ll start with making it extremely uncomfortable.”
Helena smiled. Though it wasn’t her preferred outcome, the continual torture of her enemy would be fun. However, the idea of Laura being her co-agent did not sit well. First chance to kill her in the field, Helena would take it. The only reason she had waited until now is because she always assumed it ended with Laura dying. That hope was now dashed. What she would give to go back to standing over Laura with that knife so long ago. It would have had a different outcome.
Alicia strutted in wearing a tight black dress and knee-high boots—hardly befitting a secret agent on duty. But then, the girl never followed protocol, not even in training. She spit, cussed, hit, and basically, gave every leader in this place a hard time. That was until they locked her in the pit for two weeks. She came out very ill, but with an entirely different attitude.
Harding drew Alicia to him and kissed her passionately on the lips.
Gross. Helena grimaced and turned away. Though he was only a few years older, it looked wrong. It felt wrong. Helena focused on the screen. Myers discovered another hidden camera, and for a moment, it seemed like he was looking at her. Helena’s heart leapt. Though she betrayed him, there were real feelings between them. But her hatred for Laura overpowered her love for Myers, and she had made her choice. Deep inside, she wondered if he would ever forgive her? Once he was broken, would he be hers again? She hoped that could happen. Her heart ached to hold him, to kiss him, to love him again.
The Hidden Two Page 11