Lee Seol sounds exhausted when she says, “They should be right under there, in the space between the interstate and cliff.”
“Fabulous,” I grumble. “A chance of rain plus heights? Best night ever.”
I can’t see her eye roll, but I swear I can feel it. “I’ll go by myself then.”
She takes off, and I immediately feel guilty for complaining. All she’s done since she got here is help me out—she doesn’t need my crap. I run after her, Seth next to me. We’re closing in on her when a dark figure appears from the bridge’s shadow. Looks like the Spudlings showed as promised.
The figure sets something on the ground, and Lee Seol slows to a stop. She goes for the box, and that’s when the guy points something at her. The sound of the silenced gun isn’t much, but it still pierces me. I skid to a halt, shocked, as I watch her hit the ground. This can’t be happening. She’ll get up and fight back. She has to.
She’s not.
Miles is going to kill me.
“Fi.” Seth puts his hand on my shoulder, and my eyes go to him. “Take your dress off.”
“Right.” I get to it, though my body floods with terror because Seth is running towards the guy instead of away. What does he think he’ll be able to do? The guy has a gun, and we don’t even know what ability we might be up against. But we can’t leave Lee Seol there, and whoever that is can’t get our equipment.
Seth throws a surprisingly decent punch, but the guy dodges just in time. Though I’m closer, I still can’t make out much of our enemy besides his clearly male lines. Seth tries to grab him, but the man turns out of it and slaps the back of Seth’s head. Not a hit, but a slap.
“That the best you can do?” the man says, his voice muffled from his black mask.
“Shut the hell up!” Seth punches. The man bats his hand away. He kicks. The man grabs his leg and makes him trip. Seth charges. The man flips back, landing perfectly, like a cat.
Why he hasn’t used the gun yet is beyond me.
I can’t help feeling like this guy is playing with Seth, which doesn’t make sense after he shot Lee Seol right off. I creep closer, trying to decide the best way to get a jump on him. His reflexes have to be enhanced, because he seems to anticipate Seth’s moves. Not that Seth is some amazing fighter, but still.
The man doesn’t seem to notice as I approach him from behind. He’s bulkier than Seth by quite a bit, and he carries a confidence that screams super ability. I slip the needle box out of my mouth. I don’t want to use a killing needle, but it might be time to do it.
“Tsk.” The man stands in front of Seth, who is panting from the effort. “I can’t believe The Phantom’s having trouble with such a pathetic group.”
“It’s not all about physical strength, is it?” Seth says.
“But you’re not—”
That’s when it starts to rain. Hard. The water shows my outline, and the man immediately notices. He wastes no time charging me. My heart races, but I prepare to stab him with my needle. Before he gets to me, Seth closes in and tackles him. He shoves his foot into Seth’s stomach, and Seth falls to the ground with a loud thud. Then the man gets up and comes for me.
I try to stab him, but he avoids me thanks to the rain.
“Shoulda known…you’d…bring…” He grabs my wrist and squeezes so hard I lose the needle, but I won’t go down without a fight. I grab his mask with my other hand. May as well get an I.D. if we can’t beat him.
But when I see his surprised face, mine fills with horror. I know him.
It’s always one thing to suspect someone of doing wrong, but another thing entirely to see the living proof.
“Dad?” Seth coughs.
“Are you really surprised?” Mr. Mitchell looks at his son. I take several steps back, not a single clue what to do now.
Chapter 34
“Why?” is all Seth can say as he stares at his father. Better than I can do, because I still can’t find a single word. My brain is stuck in “holy crap his dad really does work for Juan” mode. Also, he just shot Lee Seol.
“Why? Because you idiots destroyed my bugs and I needed more. Easiest way to get it is to steal it.” His dad picks up the box and looks behind him, spotting me easily in the rain. “Don’t you dare think about attacking me again. I will hurt you next time.”
Seth is on his feet now. “Don’t talk to her like that.”
His dad glares at him. “The same goes for you, too, son. My perfect balance makes me a better fighter than you could ever hope to be.”
“You just keep finding ways to suck at being a father, don’t you?”
He lets out a long sigh. “Do me a favor? Stay the hell out of this from now on. You’re getting in my way.”
Seth balls his fists. “Good. I want to be in your way.”
“No, you don’t.” He hefts the box onto his shoulder. “I’m gonna pretend I didn’t see you this time. Use it wisely.”
Seth just flips him off and heads for Lee Seol, who is sprawled out on the ground. His dad walks away, and I wait until he’s a long way off before I move. Taking my place next to Seth, I carefully pull back Lee Seol’s shirt to see how bad the wound is. There’s blood everywhere, but he got her in the stomach. “This is really bad, but she’s not dead.”
Seth nods, angry tears streaming down his face. “How did he know we’d be out here?”
“No cl…” Then something comes to mind. “Lee Seol mentioned another hacker named Crisis—maybe your dad knows him and paid for a tip?”
“Maybe.” He wipes at his eyes, already stuffing whatever he’s feeling back inside. “I’ll get your dress.”
“Okay.” I watch as he walks off, but my attention is quickly back to Lee Seol. I put my ear to her heart. There’s a beat, but it’s slow. I pull off her mask and wad it up to try and stop the blood. She needs help, but I don’t know what to do because she’d kill me if I brought her to a hospital. The other option isn’t much better…if I bring her home like this Miles will explode.
Seth tosses me my dress when he gets back, and then he sits on the other side of Lee Seol. “We should take her to Rosa. Lee Seol will have to reveal her identity, but there’s nothing else we can do.”
I slip my dress back on as I say, “You’re right. She’ll be pissed—that’s better than dead, though.”
He looks at me, his eyes sad. “We’ve been keeping so much from The Pack, Fi. I can’t deal with that anymore—they’re the only family I have. I already keep too much from them as it is.”
Those words hit me hard. After tonight, can I blame him for thinking any differently? “You could tell them about your ability, you know.”
“Not yet.” His eyes are on the horizon, and I’m not sure he even considered what I said. “I need you to do something for me right now, though I know you won’t like it.”
“What?”
“Go see if he killed the Spudlings?” He gulps and then buries his head in his knees. “I don’t think I can see it for myself, but we need to know what we’re up against.”
I suck in a breath. He’s the only person I’d do this for. “Okay. You call Brady—we don’t have time to carry her out of here. Tell them to bring Sexy Blue.”
“Okay.”
As I force myself to walk towards the bridge, I can’t help feeling like this was The Phantom’s revenge. It sends a pretty clear message—he knows what we’re doing. He might even know Spud is here. Or at least helping us out. Who knows? One thing’s for sure: this is just the beginning.
I don’t have to go too far under the bridge to see what happened here. There’s blood everywhere—bullet holes in precise, fatal places. These aren’t the shots of a novice. The wounds scream hit man.
No wonder Seth’s dad is always high or drunk or both.
I look away, my heart racing at the thought of Mr. Mitchell doing this. I’ve been in that house, so close to him, more times than I can count since I’ve been here. He could have done this to me months ago…which means there�
��s probably a good reason he didn’t. He also could have killed Lee Seol—his aim seems perfect—and yet he didn’t. I wish I knew what to think of that.
When I get back to Seth and Lee Seol, I think he already knows, but still he asks, “So?”
“Five guys. All shot dead.”
He purses his lips. “I guess our dads have more in common than I thought.”
“Seth.” I take his hands. “How can I make it better? Please. I hate thinking about you in pain.”
He squeezes my fingers, and his head finds my shoulder. “I seriously don’t know.”
I put my arms around him, because I can’t think of words that would help. We lost the equipment. Lee Seol is badly hurt. Seth’s dad is a freaking hit man. Hours ago I thought we were making progress—now it seems like we’re screwed. So we hold each other, and for a second I remember that Seth is the one person in my life who can make me feel like it will be okay even when it’s not.
Headlights appear in the distance. “They’re here,” I say.
He pulls me closer. “Don’t let go. Not yet.”
I want to say I’ll never let go of him, but I don’t.
Bea and I cradle Lee Seol in the back seat, while Brady drives over the rough terrain. No one has said anything yet, but I can tell by Bea’s face that it won’t last long. I get the sense that she’s known all along that I’ve not been telling her stuff—she’s just been the bigger person and not gotten pissed about it.
“Fiona…” Bea looks down at Lee Seol, whose head is in her lap. “Who is this? I feel like I have a right to know, if she might find out what my mom can do.”
“You’re right. She didn’t want me to tell you, and she’s not exactly someone you argue with, you know? But now I don’t have a choice and I hope she doesn’t get mad at me because—”
“Fi,” Bea cuts me off. “You’re rambling. Just tell me.”
I gulp. “She’s Miles’ girlfriend. You remember who his girlfriend is, right?”
Bea’s eyes go wide, but it’s Brady who says, “Holy shit. Are you serious?”
“Yeah. Dead serious.” I lean my head back on Sexy Blue’s grimy old seat, exhausted from the things we haven’t told them yet. “I can’t say more here. I don’t know who could be listening to us after what just happened.”
“I wish we were all telepathic,” Seth grumbles.
“No kidding.” I’m so tired of my life. But once I’m not invisible anymore, I won’t have to deal with this at all. I have to keep my eye on that invaluable prize.
Lee Seol moans when we hit another bump. She’s been going in and out of consciousness, but this time she opens her eyes. “Miles? Where’s Miles?”
I put my hand on her face. “He’s okay—you’re the one who got shot.”
“Oh yeah…” She clutches her stomach. “Feeling it now.”
When we get to the Navarros’ house, everyone is awake and waiting for us. We lower Lee Seol onto the couch. She winces at every move, and I can tell she feels uncomfortable with so many eyes on her. Bea’s dad doesn’t look particularly happy about this, and I’m proved right when he says, “I’m still not convinced we should do this. We know nothing about her.”
“Do what?” Lee Seol says weakly.
All the Navarros hesitate to answer.
“I know it’s a lot to ask,” I say. “It’s just…this girl means everything in the world to Miles. I can’t bring her home like this.” At my words, Hector and Carlos exchange glances. Clearly that’s all they need to get who Lee Seol is.
“Miles will worry when I’m not home. I can’t stay here forever,” Lee Seol says, since she clearly has no idea just what Bea’s mom could do for her.
“Just tell us who you are,” Bea’s dad insists. “Miles’ girl or not, why can’t you go to hospital for this?”
Lee Seol looks to me with wide, panicked eyes. I gulp and say, “Can’t you just tell them? I promise it’d be worth it, and they are the most trustworthy people I’ve ever met.”
“They better be.” Lee Seol sighs in defeat. “You might know me by the name of Spud.”
“What?” Bea’s dad turns to his wife. “She could tell the whole world about you!”
“Alejandro, calm down. If she’s with Miles I don’t think she’s like that.” Rosa kneels down by the couch. “I have always wished I could share my gift with the world. God blessed me with this miracle—I’m happy to use it when I can.”
Bea’s dad sighs. “I wish the world wouldn’t punish you for having such a gift.”
“I know. Perhaps someday.” Rosa looks over the wound before she asks, “Is the bullet still in there?”
“Think so,” Seth answers. “We need to get it out, right?”
Rosa nods. “It will be difficult and painful, but I’ll get the tools.”
“Tools?” Lee Seol says in a high-pitched voice. “What’s going on?”
I want to explain to her, but it’s not my place. All I can do is hold her hand and say, “It’ll be okay, I promise.”
Rosa comes back with a long pair of tweezers, but she doesn’t look excited for what she’s about to do. “This is the hard part.”
“I’ll do it.” Seth grabs the tweezers, and before anyone else can object he’s already at Lee Seol’s side. She looks terrified as he pulls the black mask from her wound. Too bad I can’t tell her that he’s the best possible person to find that bullet inside her. It’s clear from the way he approaches the wound that he’s confident in his ability to retrieve the metal.
Lee Seol screams as Seth pushes the tweezers into the torn hole in her skin. I try to hold both her hands, but it’s more like she’s crushing mine. Seth cringes, and I can’t imagine what he’s seeing. “I know it’s hard, but can you try to relax? The muscles contracting are making it worse.”
“Oh sure, easy!” she yells at him.
“Almost…” Seth pinches the tweezers. “I think I got it.”
Sure enough, he pulls out a round object covered in blood. Lee Seol whimpers at the sight of it. Hector lets out a low whistle, eyeing his best friend. “You sure did that easily. Like a freaking surgeon.”
“I got lucky.” Seth gulps, and I wonder if his best friend is starting to put things together.
“Alright, dear, it’s almost over.” Rosa cuts her finger, and a few drops of blood splatter onto Lee Seol’s stomach. As I watch her heal before my eyes, I can’t help but think of Rosa saying her ability is a gift from God. To me it seems so strange to attribute my ability to a higher being, but I suppose I can see why Rosa is so religious.
“Holy. Shitballs.” Lee Seol stares at her now perfect stomach, and I think I see understanding cross her face. “Did that really just happen?”
I nod. “You’ll keep it secret, right?”
“Of course,” she says breathlessly. “Hell, is everyone in Madison keeping secrets like this?”
I look right at Seth—he won’t look back. Sighing, I say, “Who knows? But we better get going.”
“I’ll take you guys home,” Seth says. “And, um, Rosa? Can me and Brady stay here for a while? My dad…he’s…”
I can feel him struggling for words. Of course he wouldn’t want to stay in his house when a paid killer lives with him. He must want to tell them what we saw tonight, but how can he?
“He’s been wasted for days,” Brady picks up. He seems to get that there’s more to it, but for right now this is all the excuse he can give. “We’re both getting tired of dealing with it.”
Alejandro curses in Spanish. “John has been useless at work lately, too. Most of the time he can at least pretend to look normal, but these last few days…”
“Of course you can stay. But let me make one thing clear.” Rosa stands, pointing at Brady. “You are not to go near Bea’s room. Don’t think we haven’t figured out you two have a thing.”
“Mom!” Bea’s face fills with horror.
Brady goes stop-sign red. “I would never.”
“I’ll hold you to th
at,” Bea’s dad says sternly. “You better get home, Fiona. I’m sure your mother is worrying.”
“Yeah.” I help Lee Seol off the couch. He has no idea just how worried she probably is, knowing this mission was going down tonight. And we’re definitely late on return. “Thanks for your help.”
“Of course,” Rosa says as we leave.
The night is quiet and dark, but the light is on at Seth’s house. He glares at it, and I’m sure he’s looking through walls to see where his father is. Lee Seol pulls away from me, seeming to have gotten her strength back. “So when are you gonna tell me what really happened post-shooting?”
“At home,” I say. “It’s…complicated.”
After Seth and I tell them what happened, Mom, Miles, and Lee Seol sit there in a daze. Clearly no one saw this coming. Then Lee Seol says, “He can’t be with Juan—he sounds like a free agent to me. A contract worker.”
“Why’s that?” Seth asks. “We’ve seen him around Juan’s guys twice now.”
Mom sighs. “He’s probably working with them currently, but he’d have tattoos if he were initiated into the syndicate.”
“It’s not that uncommon,” Miles points out. “You want something done quietly—you hire it out. Would explain him knowing Crisis, too. There’s no other way he could have found the drop-off info.”
Lee Seol taps on her super phone. “John Mitchell wasn’t flagged in my database as a person of interest, but he is now. He must be damn good at his job. Even I didn’t see any red flags.”
Seth lets out a wry laugh. “Great. My dad’s a top notch hit man. That makes it a little better.”
I frown. “I don’t think that’s what she meant.”
He shakes his head. “Whatever. I better go.”
“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Mom asks. “He knows you know. Even staying at the Navarros’, I don’t like the idea of you being so close to him. Maybe you should stay here.”
He raises an eyebrow. “You’re okay with that?”
“Do I have a reason not to be?” She eyes him suspiciously.
“Nope!” I stand quickly and grab him by the hand, pulling him up the stairs. This is exactly what we need right now. Me and Seth. Alone. “We’ll be good, I promise!”
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